Phoenix Rising
by thatgirlinredandgold
Summary: Annie Greymann, daughter of Apollo and one of the world's most feared Death Eaters, but Annie doesn't know that. In fact she knows absolutly nothing about magic. That is until she turns 11 and leaves behind all her friends and the only life she ever knew.
1. Prologue

**Hey, this is my NaNoWriMo story for 2010, which basically means I have to write 50, 000 words in the month of November, so expect quick updates. This story is Part 1 of 7, which will follow Annie's 7 years at Hogwarts, but I'm not sure how quickly the next parts will be up. This story will eventually be GeorgeXOC, but that's not for a long while, she's only 11! So just read, enjoy, and review.**

Prologue

The October air was as cool and crisp as any before. The chilly breeze seemed to beckon November closer and closer, just like any other October before it. But this October was very, very different. The children still ran around as the month came to a close, dressed as things from a world of which they did not belong. They were filled with the desire to visit every house, ring every doorbell, and beg for as much candy as possible, but nobody dared disturb the residents of 17 Parkwood Lane. The house was large and foreboding, the kind of house that was sure to be the center of many neighborhood rumors. The lawn was unkempt and the trees creaked in the wind. One young lady occupied the house. She was rarely seen outside of her house, but when she was it was usually in a mysterious, but cruel manner. These actions earned her the title of Wicked Witch. "If only they knew." She muttered upon discovering this. Her neighbors cared so little for her in fact, that nobody bothered to learn that as of one year prior, the Wicked Witch was no longer alone. Yes, Cassiopeia Greymann had given birth to a daughter.

And she held tight to the fussing baby as she paced anxiously back and forth in front of the large front window, occasionally sneaking nervous glances outside. She had just received a bit of disturbing news from one of her few visitors. James and Lily Potter were dead. But that was not the disturbing part; she had been anticipating the death of them and their son for some time now. No, the disturbing part was the whispered rumor, spoken so softly that it was like the speaker was frightened for his life. And frightened he should be! If the Dark Lord caught wind of this rumor they would both be dead before you could say "Mudblood!"

Suddenly, a hooded figure appeared out of the darkness. The loud crack that signaled her arrival startled a few of the trick or treaters, who quickly ran to the neighboring house. The figure walked swiftly to 17 Parkwood Lane. She too had just received a disturbing rumor, but unlike Cassiopeia, she wasn't going to just sit around while everything they worked for fell through their fingertips. Leaves crunched under her feet as she rounded a corner and was standing in front of the large house.

"You better not go in there!" warned a small boy with two large, crooked front teeth, who was dressed as a vampire. "That's where the Wicked Witch lives!"

She fingered the wand in her pocket. Just one quick spell and the boy would be out of her way for good. So easy to just stun him, but completely unnecessary. "I'll take my chances." She muttered and quickly moved on, through the front gate and up to the porch.

"Bella! Thank goodness you're here! I've heard such terrible things!" exclaimed Cassiopeia as she shifted her daughter closer to her.

"Yes well, you would've been one of the first to know if you hadn't been occupied with other…things." Bellatrix said icily.

"Honestly Bella, you know I had no control over it! Besides, Antigone's really not that bad." Cassiopeia defended.

"Cassie, you've gotten just as soft as Cissy! But at least she stayed loyal to the Dark Lord!"

Anger flared up within Cassiopeia. How dare she say these things! Had she not joined Voldemort directly out of school? Had she not spent years following him, her loyalty not wavering? Just because she had not been able to go to every meeting and mission since Antigone was born did not change her loyalty! "I did not deserted him! I'm just as loyal as the day I joined!"

Bellatrix smirked. "Are you sure? Well, I didn't come here to scold you for your obvious disloyalty. I came here to tell you that The Dark Lord has disappeared."

"You mean the rumors are true? Lord Voldemort is dead?" Cassiopeia asked quietly. If Bellatrix Lestrange was about to admit that Voldemort was dead, then it must be true. The final shred of hope she had been desperately clinging to, vanished in the blink of an eye.

"NO!" Bellatrix yelled loud enough to make Antigone whimper into her mother's chest. "He is NOT dead! I came here tonight to tell you that Rodolphus and I have a plan to find out where he is hiding."

"And what might that plan be?"

"We believe that those two aurors, the Longbottoms I think, may know where he is." Bellatrix explained, losing a bit of the anger that had flared up within her so suddenly.

"Who is going with you? Surely you can't go alone."

"No, we weren't planning to. Rodolphus went to ask Barty Crouch Jr. to accompany us, and I was supposed to ask you."

"I-Yes, of course I'll come! But I have to take care of Antigone first." Cassiopeia was eager to show her long time friend that she was still loyal.

"Yes, yes, but hurry. We don't have much time."

"I don't know where to take her," Cassiopeia admitted sheepishly.

Bellatrix pursed her lips in annoyance. "Well don't you have that squib sister? Just leave her there. I don't know when we'll be back."

Cassiopeia bit her lip nervously. She hadn't spoken to her sister in years, and they hadn't really parted on good terms. After a few seconds of internal conflict, she saw it was her only option. "Of course. I'll be back shortly." And with a loud crack Cassiopeia and Antigone disappeared from the house.

She reappeared in the center of a sleepy street. The houses were dark, but the overall affect was not frightening, but calming. The kind of place Cassiopeia would associate with her sister, a kind hearted loving person. She made Cassiopeia sick. Every step to her sister's house took effort. She wasn't frightened; Cassiopeia Greymann was no coward. However, she was nervous that her sister would turn her away. However kind hearted she might be, she was not the type of person to forgive easily. Much too soon for her taste, she was standing at her sister's front porch. She heard lively music playing inside, and laughter. Of course, she thought bitterly, her sister would be celebrating on a night like this. Her sister had married a muggleborn (an even worse dishonor to the family than being born a squib in her opinion!), causing her to still have a close connection to the wizard world. But Cassiopeia swallowed her pride and knocked on the door.

"I'll be there in a second!"came her sister's all too familiar, nauseating voice. She heard heavy footsteps across hardwood floor, and the door was thrown open. "Oh." The wide smile that had previously been plastered upon her sister's face, turned into a menacing frown.

"Charlotte, please. I need a favor." She pleaded.

"You left like, then years later you expect me to bed to your every whim. Forget it. I'm not the little girl who used to idolize you anymore. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a grown adult, who's married and has a job. I've matured, something you seem completely incapable of doing." Charlotte began to shut the door, but Cassiopeia quickly put her foot out to stop it.

"Char, just hear me out. That's all I ask." Charlotte's face was still set in a stern, disapproving frown. "Please." The last word came out as a small, barely audible whisper.

Charlotte had never heard her sister seem so weak. She was always so strong, she never showed emotion. Her moment of shock was just the right amount of hesitation Cassiopeia needed to push her way past her sister and into her house.

The house was messy, but in a nice sort of way. Unlike her own home, her sister's house looked like somebody actually lived in it. It was homely, with the dishes filling the sink; the smell of that night's dinner still lingering in the air. The worn sofa was placed in the far wall of the living room, and in that room she could see four people all smiling widely and holding glasses of some bubbly liquid. A muggle drink no doubt. Cassiopeia wrinkled her nose in disgust and instantly felt sorry that she was leaving her daughter in this rubbish dumb. This fact did not go unnoticed by Charlotte who muttered under her breath, "She hasn't changed much."

"So Char," Cassiopeia put on a falsely cheery voice. "I need you to take care of Antigone for me."

She really didn't beat around the bush did she? "Is that who you're holding?" She asked, purposely trying not to answer the question immediately.

"Yes. She is my daughter. I need you to take care of her."

"You need me to babysit?"

"Not exactly. I was thinking more like, well, forever." Cassiopeia said, trying to sound as light and pleasant and possible.

"FOREVER? Are you serious? You can't just come here and ask me to raise your daughter for you! What kind of mother does that?" Charlotte shrieked, which caused the people in the living room to look up nervously.

"That's just the thing Char!" Cassiopeia said dramatically, "I'm not a fit mother! Just imagine what I could do to mess her up."

Charlotte hesitated. Of course she was right. Cassiopeia would turn this sweet, sleeping baby into a self-centered terror in an instant. But she couldn't just take on a child so suddenly! It was a lifetime commitment, and she knew that she would never be able to provide everything this Antigone would need. And there was still the fact that her sister couldn't be telling the whole truth. There was something that she was hiding, and Charlotte had a pretty good idea what that secret might be. But still, it was her niece.

"You're a Death Eater." The words were out of her mouth before Charlotte could stop them. It was true, now that she said it, she realized the honesty behind it.

"Honestly Char, you think so little of me. Yes, I'll admit I was a Death Eater. But I have seen the error of my ways, and I want to repent. But I can't do it with the ghosts of my past still haunting me. That's why I need you to take care of Antigone for me. " Cassiopeia was lying through her teeth, but of course, Charlotte didn't know that. And she was always a sucker for a good sob story.

"I don't know-but of course. I'll take her. You understand that I'll never be able to provide her the things you could. As you can see, we're not the richest people in the world." Cassiopeia had seen, but she had finally gotten her sister to see things her way and wasn't going to ruin it.

"No, this is much better for her." She assured her sister. "Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know about Antigone." She said handing over her daughter.

Charlotte was suddenly in love with the sweet, sleeping child in her arms and said distractedly. "Yes, and what is that."

"She's not normal. You see, her dad was….different."

**Expect an update every week during November, because (as I mentioned before) this is for NaNoWriMo...so yeah, that's basically all I have to say, except REVIEW! please.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Letter

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed/favorited my story. That kind of stuff really makes me excited to write. Seriously, the only reason I was able to post this so fast is because so many people did that, and just made me really want to write. And I really want to encourage you guys to review, because that helps me the most, even constructive criticism. It just lets me know what I'm doing right and what I need to work on, so PLEASE take the time to review. Well...guess that's it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

From a young age I have had to deal with a simple fact: the world is out to get me. How else can so many things go wrong? For starters, I'm a half-blood. You may be thinking, what's the big deal, it can't be that bad? But you'd be wrong. Being a half-blood is dangerous. You could be minding your own business one second then the next fighting for your life. Monsters could lurk behind any corner, so you always have to be on guard. It's a dangerous life, but one you don't really have a choice in.

I never really had parents when I was growing up; I was raised by my aunt Charlotte. She told me that my parents were out there somewhere, not dead, just not here. But I didn't care. Any mother who willingly deserts her child is no friend in my book. As for my dad, I knew why he couldn't take care of me. He was a god, literally. My father was Apollo, god of the sun, poetry, medicine, plague, prophecy, and the arts. Yeah, it was a lot to handle, especially when your dad has had so many affairs with mortal women that you have too many half- siblings to count. But hey, Apollo's kids have been known to throw some wild parties from time to time.

Every summer since I was eight, I've come to Camp Half- Blood, a safe- haven for demigods like me. At camp we train every day until we feel like we're about to pass out. We train to fight monsters, automatons, enemies, and even each other in a camp- wide event we like to call capture the flag. This game is really only a huge deal for Athena's kids and Ares' kids, as they are the two war gods. The winning title seems to always being switched between the two. Apollo never wins, because we're the archers. Every person belonging to our cabin is always strategically placed up in trees or on hills in order to take the enemy by surprise.

Travis and Connor Stoll, my best friends, never leave my side during this game, that is, if we're on the same team. Even though their dad is Hermes, they are pretty fair archers, especially after they practically begged me to give them private lessons. We were like the three musketeers, three amigos, you know whatever floats your boat. The point is we're always together. Connor and I especially, I cannot tell you how many times Aphrodite's children have teased us about falling in love and getting married someday, and I swear I want to punch them in the face. I mean, there are only so many choruses of "Conner and Annie, sittin' in a tree…" that a girl can listen to before she snaps. And really, you'd think they were two years old with a maturity level like that. Connor and I are just friends, end of story. Anyway, all I wanted to say was Connor, Travis, and I are best friends.

Both of them were absolutely hilarious; honestly, they could make me laugh for days. They weren't twins, but they might as well be. They both had sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, elfish features, and identical mischievous grins. They were masters at pranks, and when put together were a force to be reckoned with. Like this one time, they played a hilarious prank on the girls in the Aphrodite cabin. What they did was "buy" a mango from the fruit stand down the street and then they painted it gold. But that's not even the funny part. They added a note to it that read "To the prettiest girl at Camp." And put it in the Aphrodite cabin. Of course every girl there thought it meant them. You should have seen what a madhouse that cabin was. Shoes, purses, halter tops, miniskirts, and make- up were strewn everywhere. It looked like Barbie's Dream House threw up. But it was hilarious all the same. Since Connor and Travis are the only pranksters at camp talented enough to devise something so genius, naturally they knew it was them. Let's just say, they were washing make up off their faces for weeks!

But I wasn't with Connor and Travis today, because today we were practicing sword fighting. I was good at archery, canoeing, and heck even arts and crafts, but I just could not handle swinging a sword. I stunk at it! I don't remember ever really winning a duel. I guess the problem was I froze up when I got into that close of contact with somebody wielding a long blade. It was usually only a matter of minutes before my sword clattered to the ground and I lost with a sword at my throat. But today, I was fighting a new camper so I was hopeful.

"C'mon Annie! You can do this!" called Michael Yew. He was the one person in the entire cabin who hadn't made fun of my lack of sword fighting skills. Don't get me wrong, I love everybody in my cabin. But as they say, kids can be cruel.

I concentrated as hard as I could to win this one. I blocked jabbed, rolled, and dodged clumsily. I could feel my hands sweating, causing my sword to slip slightly. Still, I tried as hard as I could. I started advancing, ready to make the final disarming maneuver, and I probably would've done it too, if it hadn't been for the owl.

It's not that owls are all that uncommon at Camp Half-Blood, because they're seen everywhere. Athena's symbol is the owl, so her cabin seemed to draw them in as the moon draws water. But there was something different about this owl, but I couldn't quite place it. I was, however, distracted long enough to hear my sword clanging to the ground. Shoot. I guess I would never win a sword fight.

After practice I made my way to Hermes' Cabin, in hopes of finding Connor or Travis. No such luck. I tried again at the Archery Range, and found it free of anybody from Hermes' cabin. I tried the Dining Pavilion, rock wall, canoeing lake, Arts and Crafts cabin, and even the Big House. They really were nowhere to be found. By this time, I was beyond frustrated.

And then I heard it, a quiet little scuffling off to the right of me. It was too big for any small animal to make, and too small a noise for any monsters. I knew instantly what it was. "Connor! I can't believe you stole Annabeth's invisibility cap! She's going to kill you!"

"Darn, how'd you know it was me?" Connor asked as he took off his cap, and handed it (reluctantly) into my waiting hand.

"Because Travis would've been quieter, so would any other normal animal, and a monster would've been much much louder," I explained carefully.

"Oh. Well, yeah I guess you're right."

"Speaking of your ever so brilliant brother, do you know where he is?" I asked jokingly.

Connor laughed, "My oh so talented brother went down to that convenience store to get us some Coca Cola."

"You mean steal us some Coca Cola." I corrected him.

Connor smiled slyly, "You know us too well, now don't you Annie."

"That I do. I tell you, one of these days you're going to be caught and thrown in jail!" I warned.

Connor only smirked at my meager warning. "But you will always be there to bail us out, won't you?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Connor. I might just 'accidently' forget about you," I teased.

"Aw, you know you wouldn't ever let your incredibly handsome, talented, funny, awesome, cool, suave, charming-"

"Can you just get to the point already?" I said exasperated."

"Fine. Amazing best friend rot in jail, would you?" He finished, faking a hurt expression.

"No, I think you may be right. I would never leave Travis in jail. I would have to bail _him _out."

"Oh! Now that was low, even for you." He said with mock seriousness, but I could still see a laughing spark in his bright blue eyes.

"You know I'm only kidding Connor. I would bail both of you out." I compromised.

"Well, you better. I don't think I would ever forgive you for letting us rot in some filthy prison cell for all of eternity."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic." I said as I started walking towards my cabin. "I have to change; can I see you at dinner?"

"Of course, see you then!" And with that he was gone, running towards his own cabin.

For once I was actually by myself in the cabin. I guess everybody else already left for dinner. That was a good thing. As much as I liked being with my friends, being on my own gave me time to think. And today I had plenty to think about. From my ever lacking sword fighting skills, to the strange owl I saw while practicing. Like I said before, seeing an owl at Camp Half- Blood isn't all that unusual. But still, I just had this weird feeling about the bird.

Getting changed didn't take all that long, and before I knew it I was out the door and on my way to the Dining Pavilion. The Dining Pavilion was a large white open- air Greek pavilion that over looked the beautiful Long Island Sound. But I never really had time to appreciate the gorgeous views, when our food was delivered it was all I could think about, that's how good it was. Tonight was BBQ, but unusually my mind was not on food. It was buzzing with this strange feeling that something odd was going to happen.

"Is there something bothering you?" Asked one of the youngest girls in my cabin, Alicia, who was only eight years old.

"No, I'm fine Alicia, really." She gave me a strange look, as if she didn't believe me. "Alicia, would I lie to you? I told you I'm fine."

She still didn't look like she believed me. "If you say so."

That's when I saw it again. The large tawny owl was sitting on a pillar near Athena's table, carrying something in its beak. And as if that wasn't strange enough, its large amber eyes seemed to be staring at someone in my direction. No, those large amber eyes were staring at me. I had to tell myself not to be so ridiculous. Of course the owl wasn't staring at me, owls don't stare at people. But then again, being a half- blood causes you to see some pretty strange stuff. I was worrying myself over this stupid owl that was probably not that big of a deal, so I turned back to my dinner. I don't think it liked that. The owl gave a loud "HOOT!" and swooped low over the dining pavilion, causing all of the campers in its path to give gasps of astonishment and annoyance. I knew it was coming for me long before it got there, and I was bracing myself for some sort of mad bird attack, but luckily nothing came. Instead, the owl landed right in front of me. The bird cocked its head to one side, as if trying to determine if I was the right person, before it handed over the envelope it was clutching in its beak.

"Uh…thanks?" I said, slightly confused. The owl seemed to nod in understanding. Then, as quickly as it had come, the owl turned, spread its wings and took flight over the camp, eventually disappearing into the forest surrounding our camp. Nobody else seemed to give a second glance to it, which seemed odd to me. Maybe I was just making a big deal about nothing.

But still, this was all so unreal, like something you would see in some type of movie. It didn't happen to people in real life. But it happened to me. My breath was caught in my throat as I looked down at the envelope in my hands. It was made of a thick sort of paper. Green ink spelled out an address in fancy handwriting. It read:

Antigone Greymen

The Third Table From The Left

Dining Pavilion

Camp Half- Blood

It knew my name. That was all I was thinking about. Nobody, besides my mother, aunt, and Chiron knew my name. And there was a good reason for that. I was utterly embarrassed by that name. Honestly, who names their child Antigone? Not anybody from this century, that's who. Well, except for my mom. I despised the name. Ever since I was able to comprehend words I hated it. As soon as I could talk, I insisted on being called Annie. And I had good reason to hate it. Imagine for a moment, that you are six years old and you go to the playground. While you are there, you meet a new friend who wants to know your name. If you said you're name was Antigone, they'd probably laugh and walk away. Kids really are that cruel.

Anyway, the fact that the person who sent me this letter knew my name did not bode well with me. Finally, after what seemed like forever of just staring at the envelope, I brought up all the courage I could muster and opened the letter. And that's when it finally all made sense.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Greyman,_

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Yeah, now I was no longer nervous, because after reading this letter, I knew it was all a big joke. And now that I think about it, it all makes sense. The owl, the amount of detail put into it, and the fact that half of them seemed to enjoy tormenting me because of something that happened days ago (that's another story), all lead me to one conclusion; Athena's cabin. They had even gone as far as to actually put an entire list of "school supplies" attached to the back. I mean really, the list was ridiculous.

Wands, broomsticks, cauldrons, spell books. The entire thing was so well thought out, that I knew I must be right about who did it. A school of wizardry? As if! I did the only thing that seemed reasonable and crumpled up the offending letter and disposed of it the first chance I got, but that was only the beginning.

The rest of the day seemed to pass without much of a difference from any days at camp before it. After dinner the entire camp went down to a fire to sing songs and roast some delicious marshmallows. It was camp tradition for Apollo's cabin to lead everybody in a sing along. It seemed to last for hours as we laughed and joked around. Yes, this is most defiantly the place I feel most at home. When the last sparks of the once blazing campfire curled into the starry night sky, all of the campers filed back to their cabins for a good night's sleep. And as I lay in bed, I didn't think about owls, or letters, or schools of magic. My mind was filled with the peace that only comes from a satisfying good time with friends.

The morning however, was a different story. I was awake long before the other people in my cabin, and I figured they wouldn't be up for a long while. The sun wasn't even up yet, how could you expect children of the sun god to be awake? I decided to use this unusual time by myself to take my good sweet time getting ready. But apparently the Fates had something else in mind, because when I made my way out of bed I saw the last thing on earth I wanted to see. I saw a pile of at least a dozen letters, all identical to the one last night. I gritted my teeth. Why would the Athena cabin go through all that trouble just to make me angry? It didn't make sense! And in the back of my mind, I guess I knew that they weren't the ones doing all this, but I didn't want to admit that to myself just yet.

I reached down and ripped up every last one of those letters. I wanted to go right over to the Athena cabin and tell them to knock it off, but I knew that wouldn't solve anything. Besides, if they really weren't the culprits, I didn't need to give them another reason to hate me.

But I would be lying if I said the letters didn't upset me, because they did. There was something about them that I didn't want to admit to myself just yet. The letters brought back a distant memory, one that I didn't even know I had until I read that letter. It was one of colored smoke coming out of a stick, dishes cleaning themselves, and odd blasts coming from my aunt and uncle's room. The thing was, I wasn't sure that these memories were even real, so I concluded that they weren't. To sort out all these confusing thoughts, I just stuck with my beginning simple conclusion that the Athena cabin was just playing a prank on me.

I wanted to forget about the letters and everything associated with them so I grabbed some jean shorts and a t-shirt and quickly made my way to the girl's bathroom behind the circle of cabins. But in those restrooms, I saw probably one of the last people I wanted to see, as she was one of the people who were most involved in what happened. Annabeth Chase was standing in front of the mirror pulling her curly blonde hair back into a ponytail. She jumped when she noticed me enter, but quickly composed herself.

"Oh, hi Annie. I didn't think anybody else would be up this early."

"Neither did I. So what are you doing up?"

"Oh, well I just couldn't sleep, you know, dreams and stuff." She explained. I understood completely. Demigod dreams were downright terrifying. It was no wonder she couldn't sleep. Demigod dreams aren't like regular dreams, they can be about the future, or a warning, or even a message from the gods.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I just have a lot on my mind."

She nodded to show her understanding, and turned to leave. "Wait! Annabeth…I just wanted to apologize for, well, you know, what happened last week. I didn't mean for anything like that to happen."

She blushed deeply and looked completely embarrassed. "I know that, Annie. I never really blamed you. I don't think anybody does really, at least not anymore. Really, it wasn't your fault; you didn't know it was my diary, or that it was private. I guess I just got caught up in the heat of the moment. I'm the one that should be sorry."

Great. Just what I wanted to hear. So the Athena cabin wasn't mad at me, now what did I have to blame the mysterious letters on? If anything, our little talk did just the opposite than what I hoped it would. But I still mustered a smile. "Thanks Annabeth. By the way we are so going to cream you tonight."

Annabeth laughed, glad that our serious conversation was over. "You wish Greyman." And then she left.

Tonight was capture the flag. Apollo had allied itself with the Ares cabin in exchange for the first showering slot (Guaranteed hot water for a week! Score!), which put us against the Athena cabin. I was grateful for the distraction that the game tonight gave me.

Breakfast passed without anything special happening. I laughed with my half- brothers and sisters, ate until I felt like I would pop, and there was no sign of one single letter. My day was turning out to be a whole lot better than it had started. I was starting to get in a pretty good mood, which was made even better when I caught up with Travis and Connor, who were conversing in low voices about some new prank they were planning.

"…and then there will be this huge explosion and we should-Oh! Hi Annie." Connor greeted, cutting off his explanation of the prank. "I didn't see you come up."

Travis laughed. "Yeah, because we all know how sneaky Annie can be." Ah, sarcasm, one of my few joys in life. I was probably the clumsiest and least sneaky person on the planet. This was probably another reason I was so bad at sword fighting, and was always stuck attacking from afar with my bow and arrow. If I were ever forced to attack somebody close range I'd probably trip and get myself killed.

"Yes Travis, because you know I'm so stealthy."

"You seem a lot happier today. Excited for capture the flag tonight?" Connor asked.

"Yes! You know that's my favorite part of the week." I exclaimed excitedly.

"Too bad we're gonna cream you tonight." Travis said.

I didn't even bat an eye at his threat, "Yeah right Travis. Apollo could beat Hermes any day. You are so going down."

Capture the flag seemed to come quicker than I had expected. My day had been packed with activities, leaving me absolutely no time to rest and think. After breakfast was archery with my cabin, something we all excelled at naturally. Then we headed straight to lunch, where my entire cabin talked of nothing but the amazing new bows the Hephaestus cabin had recently made. After lunch, I met up with Connor and Travis and they finally let me in on a huge prank they had been planning that morning, after they had gotten annoyed at my constant pestering. The day just seemed to fly by. Not once did I fret about what I had started referring to as The Letter. In fact, that was probably one of the last things on my mind as I suited up for the game.

Capture the flag is held directly after dinner in the woods, the boundary line being Zephyros Creek, which wound its way almost perfectly through the center of the trees. I pulled my curly brown hair back into a low ponytail so I could put my helmet on. Full Greek armor was expected to be worn during this game. For good reasons too, if you didn't wear it you could pretty much expect to be skewered with a celestial bronze sword. Yeah, real weapons were used. Did injuries happen often? You bet! It just added to the excitement of it. After all, this isn't your mother's game of capture the flag.

Our cabin made its way down to the woods where everybody was gathering. Michael Yew, as our head counselor, led the way down while giving us a pep talk. I had a sheath of arrows across my pack, a dozen regular arrows, and a couple fart arrows. Fart arrows where my favorite. They were a disgust your victim by releasing a horrific smell, which will cause them to gag and make them more vulnerable.

We all gathered with the Ares' and Hephaestus' cabins to make a plan. The other team had Athena, Hermes, and Demeter on its side. Not that the Demeter cabin did much, there mom was the goddess of the harvest and they were all probably the most non violent people I've ever met in my life. The other cabins didn't really help out much either, especially Aphrodite, who preferred to gossip and fix their hair while everybody played.

"Apollo, some of you should take to the trees around our flag at Zeus's Fist, the rest of you, hide different places around it, understand?" Clarisse, head counselor for Ares, demanded. Our entire cabin nodded in comprehension of what she had said. "Hephaestus, I want you to take Border Patrol. Set as many traps as you can, make sure nobody can get across. We'll take offense. So, let's dominate!" She finished dramatically.

Campers dispersed in all directions. I headed towards the tree directly behind Zeus's Fist, a giant rock formation that when looked at just right, looked like a large fist punching out of the ground. Personally, I just thought it looked like a giant pile of poop, but considering it was named after the lord of the skies, I would probably be blasted off the face of the planet if I said that out loud.

I found a low branch and used all my strength to pull myself up the rest of the way until I was almost completely hidden in the trees. Then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Until finally, I heard a noise coming from off to my right. As soundlessly as I could, which is to say not very, I pulled out an arrow and prepared to shoot it.

Right as I was about to let my arrow go I noticed something on the tip. I pulled the arrow closer so I could examine it better and instantly recognized what it was. The fancy green handwriting, the heavy parchment, it was The Letter. I felt my heart skip a beat and my breath catch in my breath. This was not a prank. I couldn't delude myself with that any longer. I set the arrow down on the branch that I was perched on and took out another arrow, and was absolutely terrified to discover another letter accompanying it. Yes, these letters scared me. Everything about them gave me an uneasy feeling, from the ridiculous content, to the way they knew my real name, and especially the way whoever was sending it was so insistent on me getting my letter.

I pulled out another arrow, and another one, and another one, all having the same letter attached to the end. My heart was beating quickly in my chest. I was becoming short of breath, and I couldn't breathe at all. My mind was whirling, and my vision was growing fuzzy. The feeling grew worse and worse, until I fainted.

My head was killing me. It was a dull, throbbing pain that made me moan in agony. I didn't dare open my eyes. What had happened? I had a feeling that I didn't want to know. There was a game of capture the flag, I knew that much. Then something terrible had happened, making me faint and more than likely fall out of the tree. That would explain my throbbing head.

And suddenly my eyes shot open as I remembered. The Letter. Those things had a way of finding me, as if they were stalking me. I had to scold myself for being so ridiculous. Letters didn't stalk people, they were only inanimate objects. Wow, that fall must have been harder than I thought.

I moaned again and glanced around the room. The white walls and curtains mingled with the smell of cotton and fresh pine was all too familiar to me. I was at the infirmary in the Big House, a giant farm house overlooking the camp. I heard somebody coming towards my room and tried with all my might not to look like I was in excruciating pain.

The person was coming closer, and by now I could tell that it was a person in a wheelchair. And when he opened the door and came in I noticed something in his lap. It was Chiron, a centaur who usually preferred to use his magic wheelchair so that he could pass as human. He was the activities director at Camp Half- Blood, and probably the closest thing to a father figure I've ever really had. My uncle died before I was two, due to a rather bad illness. Aunt Charlotte wouldn't tell me what it was, instead saying that I'd find out when I was older. And my real day, well you can't expect somebody like him to really be there for you.

"Hello Annie. I just wanted to see if you were up so I could deliver these letters to you."Oh no.

"NO! Chiron, throw them away, do whatever you want with them. I don't want them." Ok, so I was being really rude, and I felt really bad about it. But I really didn't want those letters anywhere near me.

"Annie, surly you want the letter from your aunt."

I looked slightly confused. Why would my aunt be writing me? "No, I'll keep that one please." I hadn't heard from Aunt Charlotte in forever, well at least not since the beginning of summer. I still stay with her in London during the school year. I took the letter from Chiron and ripped it open hurriedly.

_Dear Annie,_

_Hey sweetie, how's camp? Are you having fun? Things have been pretty quiet around here without you. _

_Annie, I wrote to discuss something very important. I expect by now that you've received your Hogwarts letter. I expect that you don't believe it, but it's true. This isn't so type of joke. I know a letter isn't the best way to tell you this, but you're a witch. Hogwarts is a place where you'll learn how to use and control magic. Your Uncle David went there._

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you about all of this sooner. I was scared, I suppose. Please don't be angry with me. I'll explain more when I come to pick you up Saturday._

_Love Always,_

_Aunt Charlotte_

_P.S. It would be best if you didn't tell anybody at camp about all of this. Muggles aren't supposed to know about magic._

My hands were shaking violently. So it was true, every last word the letter said was true. My aunt was no liar, especially about something this big. Everything that had happened the last couple of days could only be magic, now that my aunt confirmed the accuracy of the letter I was able to see that was true. I had a feeling that right at this very second, my entire world has changed. But still, one question remained. What the heck was a muggle?


	3. Chapter 2: Lunch with Aunt Charlotte

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update (if a week is a long time that is), but as we wrimos like to say, I have been week twoed. For awhile I had lost almost all of my motivation to write. The second reason it took me so long to update is more my fault than anything, origanly this was just one huge 10,000 word chapter, but I realized that was way too long, so I just used half of it as Chapter 2, which means that I already have a huge chunk of the next chapter done. And one last thing, I usually hate it when people beg for reviews, but PLEASE REVIEW! I have a grand total of three reviews, and while I am completly grateful for those reviews, new reviews give me motivation to write. Just this morning when I got another review (just 1!) I wrote about another 2, 000 words. So I'm not just asking for reviews so that I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, I'm asking because it will really help me to win NaNoWriMO this year. So please please please review. Just a couple more days until Deathly Hallows! I'll try to get the next chapter up before it comes out. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Those last few days seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't bring myself to fully enjoy them. I had always hated change, ever since I was little. You should have seen the fit I through when Aunt Charlotte decided to repaint my room a different color. Let's just say, my four year old self didn't talk to her for days. And everything that was happening now, moving on to a new school, especially a school of magic, was a huge step. The thing is I was comfortable at camp. I was comfortable with waking up every morning to go train to fight monsters, hang out with friends, and maybe play a few pranks with Connor and Travis. I wasn't really sure if I was ready to leave all that behind. Of course, I would be back next summer, but I had to wonder if I would still be the same person when that happened.

In her letter, Aunt Charlotte had told me she was coming to pick me up on Saturday, which left me exactly two days to pack my bags and say goodbye to everyone. But to them I was only leaving camp a little early, they didn't know that my life was about to be turned completely upside down.

I know it seems strange that I'm not more excited to go to Hogwarts. I'm sure that if you asked any other kid to drop everything and go to a new school to learn how to use magic, they'd do it in a heart beat. Not me though, I have enough magic and danger in my life as it is, thank you very much. Still, a part of me was very curious despite my mind telling me that this was all wrong.

The hardest thing by far would be saying goodbye to Connor and Travis. We had so much planned for this summer, and I hated that I was the reason that it was being cut so short. Both of them seemed to notice my bad mood almost the second Chiron deemed me well enough to return to my daily activities.

As soon as I was out the door of the Big House I saw them. They were leaning up against the railing of the porch that wrapped around the large house, laughing about something Connor had just said. "Hey guys." I greeted.

They both looked up suddenly at the sound of my voice. "Hey graceful." Travis teased, causing Connor to have to attempt to hide his laugh in his hands.

I tried to smile good naturedly and cover up the small blush that was creeping up my cheeks. "Yeah, I guess you guys do have a right to make fun of me. After all, I did fall out of a tree." I ran my hands nervously through my tangled brown hair at my meager attempt at sounding like my old self.

The smiles seemed to fall of their faces almost instantly. "Are you okay, Annie?" Connor asked carefully. "You seem a little… off."

I smiled sadly and shook my head. "No, I'm fine. It's just; my aunt sent me a letter while I was recovering. She… uh … she wants to come pick me up on Saturday."

"Bummer." Travis said. "Well, Connor and I will make sure that your last couple of days at camp are absolutely amazing." He finished, smiling broadly.

I could tell by the way they quickly returned to their normal joking selves that they didn't fully understand what was going on. And how could I expect them too? After all, they didn't know how much my life was changing.

"I'm sure you will guys, but right now I'm starving. When's lunch?"

"You missed it." Connor stated. "But luckily Travis and I have a secret stash of unhealthy, heart attack inducing, cholesterol full, junk food in our cabin. Do you want some?"

My stomach growled in anticipation. "Heck yes! You two are life savers, thanks!"

"Well then, let's go!" Travis held out his arm for me. "Right this way my lady." I took his arm and laughed genuinely for what seemed like the first time in ages, but in reality was no more than twenty – four hours.

"Not without me my lady. " Connor joked, as he too held out his arm for me to take.

It's amazing how easy it is for me to feel a million times better just by being with my two best friends. For the first time since reading Aunt Charlotte's letter I actually felt like I could laugh and be happy, and not like my life was suddenly going to end. Now I was nursing a new feeling, hope. Perhaps now, things wouldn't have to completely change. Maybe now, after my first year at Hogwarts, I could come back to Camp Half- Blood and things could still be ( somewhat ) the same.

We stumbled into the Hermes cabin talking and joking loudly. We had to watch our step so we wouldn't trip over the numerous sleeping bags and belongings that the various unclaimed campers had left on the floor. As the patron god of travelers, the Hermes cabin took in any campers who have not yet been claimed by their godly parent. Since most of the gods have far better things to do than take care of their children, unclaimed campers out number those that actually belong to the Hermes cabin. Most of these campers are often sullen and depressed, much unlike the majority of Hermes' kids who were often seen causing some form of mischief at Camp Half – Blood. We made it through the maze of belonging miraculously without falling on our faces and to the loose floor board that I knew to be our destination. They pulled away the board to reveal a plethora of our all time favorite junk food; Doritos, Ding Dongs, Cheetos, Twinkies, gummy bears, Lays potato chips, Reeses, and dinosaur fruit snacks were only the beginning of it. I quickly reached in and grabbed the first thing my hands came in contact with. Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips, delicious.

While we munched contently on our food we talked and joked. Our conversations usually went something like this: Connor would say something funny and we'd all laugh, then I would make some witty remark and we would all laugh again, then Travis would think of some hilarious sarcastic and clever response to my witty remark and by this time we would be rolling on the floor and clutching our sides in laughter. In fact, we were having such a great time that we didn't notice that we were no longer alone in the Hermes cabin. While we were laughing, Luke, the head counselor for the Hermes cabin, had snuck in almost soundlessly. We didn't even know he was there until he broke up our little party by interrupting what Travis was about to say. "Travis, Connor, everybody in our cabin has to go to the arena to practice sword fighting." Both of them sighed and got up to leave after saying their goodbyes to me. Ah well, good things never last forever.

. . .

My last few days at camp were a blur of sad goodbyes, last minute packing, and a few nights crying myself to sleep. Just kidding, about the last one at least. I never could go to sleep because my mind was filled with questions about what would happen next. I would often stay up the entire night just thinking about Hogwarts, magical owls, and mysterious letters.

Before I knew it, I was standing at the top of Half- Blood Hill waiting for my Aunt Charlotte to come and pick me up. I had to stay within the camp's boundaries to wait for my aunt. The camp's magic boundary kept away anything unwelcome, like monsters and mortals. Don't get me wrong, we're not prejudiced against mortals, but let's see you try explaining a camp with dryads, centaurs, Pegasus, and a real life ancient Greek sword fighting arena, and amphitheatre to your every day average Joe. As a mortal, Aunt Charlotte would find it nearly impossible to get into Camp Half Blood.

Outside the camp's boundaries the rain was coming down in a steady pattern. I could hear thunder in the distance and then lightening would flash seconds later. But inside camp the sky was clear. Just another thing that made life at camp so much fun. We were never held back by small issues like weather. In addition to keeping out mortals and monsters, the camp's boundaries also kept out bad weather. So, it was never cloudy, never rained, snowed, or stormed. It was always sunny and cloudless.

It was too early to be up. Anybody with half a brain could see that. It was barely passed five o'clock in the morning, but my aunt had insisted in a last minute Iris Message that she would pick me up first thing in the morning. Iris, the goddess of rainbows, would often help half – bloods out when they needed to contact somebody. All you had to do was make a rainbow and toss in a golden drachma as payment, and you could talk to pretty much anybody. I had taught Aunt Charlotte how to do this one day so that she could contact me at times when a letter would be too slow. Iris usually didn't let mortals do this, so I was usually the one to start the conversations. This was of course the case last night. Anyway, nobody would be up to see me off, I was positive about that. _Too early_, I thought to myself as I let out a huge yawn.

So there I was, alone, tired, and slightly bored, waiting at the top of Half Blood hill. And then, suddenly, Connor and Travis were there, both looking solemn. The Stoll brothers never looked solemn; it must be a sign of the apocalypse. Connor reached out to give me a hug, but Travis was holding a little white box with a blue bow on top in his hand.

"Well Annie, I guess this is goodbye." Connor said as he released me from his hug.

"Only until next summer." I corrected him.

Connor smiled. "Of course. We made you something, since, you know, you won't be able to stay all summer."

I grinned and took the box out of Travis' outstretched hand and I mumbled, "Thanks." It really was a sweet gesture to give me a going away present. I eagerly tore off the bow and opened the box and I almost gasped in surprise. Inside the box was a bead matching those on my camp necklace, except this one had a picture of a stick figure falling out of a tree painted on it. Every summer at the end of camp each camper receives a bead to add to their camp necklace. I had four on mine, a gold chariot, a bow and flaming arrow, a pink baby Pegasus, and a centaur in a prom dress (Now that was an interesting summer). The picture on each bead represented something important that had happened that summer. It was a funny thought to think that Connor and Travis thought me falling out of a tree "bead worthy". I smiled as I slid the bead on to my necklace. Five beads for five absolutly amazing summers. "Thanks" I muttered again, smiling broadly.

"It's no problem. Just have a good time over in London." Connor answered as he hugged me back.

"Annie, I think your aunt is here." Travis pointed out as he turned to hug me too. Sure enough, a taxi had pulled up in front of the hill, and honked its horn. My aunt rolled down the window and waved to me frantically. Nice going Aunt Charlotte, make sure to give the poor taxi driver a big tip for letting in all that rain through the window.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I guess I'll see you next summer."

They smiled their nearly identical smiles. "Cheerio!" They said and turned back towards camp laughing the whole way. I sighed. Connor and Travis have insisted on making fun of my British accent ever since we first met. It was always "Cheerio this!" and "Bloody hell" that. I mean come on, you don't see me walking around saying "Hey y'all, what's crack – a - lackin" or something like that. I forced myself to let it go. After all, I couldn't be mad at them when I was about to leave for another whole year.

I walked slowly down the hill, purposely taking my good sweet time. After all, my aunt had insisted on picking me up as soon as possible, waiting for a few more minutes won't kill her.

"Come on Annie! Our plane leaves at three o'clock and I wanted to stop and get lunch. Stop lazing around!" This caused Connor and Travis, who were still within ear shot to burst into another fit of laughter because of Aunt Charlotte's choice of words.

"I'm coming Aunt Charlotte!" After all, I wasn't just dilly dallying on purpose, my trunk slowed me down a considerable deal.

She had gotten out of the cab and was tapping her foot impatiently, but she still had a smile on her face. Eventually I got to the cab when my shirt was completely soaked through thanks to the rain. My Aunt Charlotte allowed me to get into the cab as she put my trunk in the back. When my aunt got into the cab as well I could see that her shirt was just as soaked as mine, but this did nothing to deteriorate her mood. Her large smile was still plastered on her face.

"Isn't this just great?" She exclaimed happily. Before I had a chance to say that it was indeed great in the most dejected way possible, she continued talking. "I've just missed you so much! I don't know how I'll be able to deal with you being gone all year, and summer too no doubt! I can't expect you to not want to come back to camp! Oh, but I'm just glad that I'm with you right now. But are you excited to go to Hogwarts? Are you nervous? I bet you are nervous, I would be. You'll have to make new friends, and you know just about as much magic as a muggle-born, that'll set you back a little bit! Oh, what am I saying? That's just going to make you even more nervous. I'm so stupid. Don't listen to a word I say. " Aunt Charlotte did that a lot. Whenever she was nervous she would talk a million words per minute. From a very young age I learned to just block her out when she did this and she usually ended up sounding like that teacher from Charlie Brown, "Wah wah wah wah wah…"

"Aunt Charlotte, if you don't mind it's still really early and I am seriously tired. Could I try to go to sleep?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course dear. I'll wake you up when we get to New York City."

I nodded and turned back to staring out the window. The rain was coming down harder than ever and was making a large racket on the roof of the car. The country road would have made a nice picturesque view from the car if it hadn't been raining and the windows weren't blurred from the constant splattering of the water. Eventually the bumping along of the cab, sound of the rain, and distant rumble of thunder rocked me into a deep sleep.

It didn't seem like long before I was shaken awake by my Aunt Charlotte. "Wake up Annie! Wake up! We're here and we only have about an hour to eat lunch before we have to get to the airport." She said, as she got out of the cab.

"Okay, I'm up. No need to get all crazy on me. "I murmured sleepily as I tried and failed to stifle a yawn. It immediately became clear to me that the rain had stopped and we were outside of a quaint little café in New York City called _La Petite Chou-fleur. _"The Little Cauliflower?" I asked curiously. Don't ask me how I translated that, because the truth is, I really don't know. When I was little Aunt Charlotte had insisted on teaching me French, claiming that it would help me out in the long run. Let me be the first to say that it has never helped me. I despised the French lessons and usually spent the majority of them staring dreamily out the window, wanting desperately to play outside. I guess more French had stuck with me than I had originally thought.

"Very good Annie. This is one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. I have to come here every time I'm in New York. Plus, it's so busy nobody could possibly overhear us when we discuss…well you know." She said as she cast a weary look towards the driver. Aunt Charlotte went around back to retrieve my trunk as I started making my way towards the café. It was nice enough looking I guess. The building was painted a pleasant yellow color, the door was crowded with fliers for the restaurant's new promotions, and the windows were filled with professionally decorated pastries and cakes which instantly made my stomach growl and realize how hungry I really was. My aunt seemed to notice this fact almost instantly.

"Well hurry up. It won't do either of us much good to just stand outside looking hungry." Then she walked straight into the restaurant carrying my trunk behind her. If anybody thought it was odd that my aunt was dragging a large trunk through a crowded café, nobody let on. I guess living in a big city you kind of get used to strange things and people after awhile. I followed closely behind her.

The waitress inside was young, as she barely looked sixteen. She had headphones in her ears and was jamming out to some type of rock song. She smacked the gum in her mouth, making me cringe slightly. If there was one thing I hated, it was people who chewed noisily. "Table for two?" She asked as she revealed what was indeed a large wad of gum. My aunt nodded and the waitress motioned for us to follow her. She led us to a corner table in the very back of the restaurant. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She asked in a way that implied that she'd rather be anywhere else besides at the little café today.

"I'll just have a water." I said, and my aunt smiled gratefully at me. I knew my aunt struggled with money, ever since my uncle had died she's been in and out of work. She's tried never to deny me simple things like soda at a restaurant, but I can tell what a relief it is to her when she doesn't have to pay the extra five dollars for a soft drink.

"That's what I'll get too." Aunt Charlotte said. The waitress nodded and left the table without a word. Ugh, I really hoped my aunt didn't feel the need to tip this girl well. Aunt Charlotte looked at me carefully. "I'm sorry Annie." She said sadly.

"About what?" Which was a stupid thing to say. I knew what she was sorry about, but I didn't want to be the reason she felt even worse than she already did.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Hogwarts or about magic or anything really. I kept a whole part of who you are a secret from you and I-"

"Really, it's okay. I'm not mad." I started, but Aunt Charlotte waved her hand for me to stop.

"No, it's not okay. I lied to you. When you asked how your Uncle David died, I lied to you. Whenever you asked about your mother I lied. I'm a liar, and I'm sorry."

I could tell that she would continue on with this even if I kept denying that there was nothing to be ashamed of so I said, "Why did you do it?"

"I don't know Annie. I guess I was scared."

I was confused. What was there to be scared of? "Why were you scared?"

" I was scared that you wouldn't think I was good enough for you anymore, or that I wouldn't be enough?"

I was dumb struck. "Auntie, I could never think that. How could you think that you wouldn't be good enough for me?"

"Because I'm a squib Annie. I can't do magic."

I was really confused, so I asked the first thing that came to my mind. "What's a squib?"

She sighed. "A squib is somebody who was born into a wizard family but can't do magic. The opposite of a muggleborn really." I started to ask what the heck a muggle-born was when she explained. "A muggle born is somebody with no wizard parents but can do magic."

"So, am I a muggle born?" I asked carefully.

My aunt smile at me. "No, you're a half-blood. Your mum was a witch, and your father, well he's not a wizard, is he. But not that any of that matters, all that blood purity stuff. It really doesn't affect how good a witch you'll be, and don't listen to anybody who tells you otherwise." I nodded to show that I wouldn't and my aunt continued. "Well, I suppose you want to learn about Hogwarts don't you? I can't really tell you much since I've never been there, but I've heard a great deal about it."

"From my mum." I guessed.

Aunt Charlotte smiled at me. "Mostly yes. But you're forgetting that I grew up in a wizard family, I had a very close friend who was a witch and told me everything I wanted to know."

I nodded my head, "Who?"

"Oh, you'll meet her tomorrow. She's taking both of us to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies."

"What's Diagon Alley?" So many names and things were being thrown at me and I had no idea how I would ever remember all of it. Why did the wizard world have to be so confusing?

"Diagon Alley is a place full of magic shops. Everybody goes there to get all of their magical supplies like potions ingredients, spell books, and wands. I remember when I was a little girl, I loved going there. I especially loved getting ice cream at Fortescue's…oh I really am getting off topic aren't I?"

"Will I get a wand?" I asked suddenly. The idea of it frightened and excited me all at the same time. Somehow, getting a wand would make this all seem so much more real.

"Oh, yes. You'll get it at Ollivander's, he's the best. Getting your wand is a very exciting moment; I remember when your mum got her's. She must have gone through at least one hundred wands before she found the one that was right for her."

"So you can't just buy an old wand, you really have to go through one hundred wands to be able to get one?"

My aunt laughed, making my ears turn scarlet. "No, that was just your mum. You see, the wand chooses the wizard, or in your case witch. You can't just take any old wand because it won't work as well as the one you were destined for. Wand lore is a very confusing subject, you'd be better off asking a professional like Ollivander."

The waitress came back over suddenly, still chomping on her gum and listening to her way too loud music. With one final smack of her gum she said, "Are you guys ready to order?" _Smack, smack, smack. _

My aunt seemed to notice the gum smacking and seemed slightly grossed out by it. "Umm..yes. I'll have a chicken sandwich please."

I hadn't even looked at the menu yet, as I had been preoccupied with other things for the majority of our time at the restaurant, so I decided to take the only safe route. "Me too."

The waitress nodded and walked away smacking her gum.

We ate in a comfortable silence for the rest of our meal. I had too much going through my mind to really make good conversation. I had learned so many things during our short lunch that my mind would be reeling for days. Squibs, Hogwarts, wands, spell books; it was all becoming more and more real to me. It was a thought that both frightened and excited me. I was excited to go to Hogwarts, because this magic stuff was starting to sound like a pretty big deal. But because this magic was such a big deal, I knew it would change my life forever, and the thought of that much change did frighten me.

One rushed lunch, and a couple hours trying to make our way through the tight New York City airport security found us sitting impatiently for the plane to take off. I was tapping my foot to a beat that was only in my head while my aunt was flipping through a _muggle _magazine. That word was so strange to me, _muggle._ It was odd that there were so many different classifications for people in this new world I was entering. My aunt was a squib. I was a witch. But there was also pureblood, half- blood, muggle- born, the list goes on.

And there was another thing. The way my aunt talked about my mum. It was like she was almost ashamed of her, or of something she had done. And then there was that warning, and I knew just by the tone of her voice when she said it that it was a big deal. _Don't listen to anybody who tells you blood purity is important. _My aunt had brought it up for a reason, and I knew it had something to do with my mother.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to American Airlines. Please buckle your seat belts and prepare for take off." Said the calm, soothing voice of the flight attendant over the speakers. My grip tightened on the arm rest. I hated flying. I was forced to fly every summer to and from camp and the experience always made me nervous. Zeus, as the lord of the skies, hated it when demigods had the nerve to fly through his domain. All that needed to happen was for Zeus to be in a particularly bad mood and decide to blast down some planes, and I was a goner.

The entire plane ride was spent with me grasping the arm rest until my knuckles turned white and taking short shallow breaths until I felt light headed. So you can only imagine my relief when the voice of the flight attendant was once again heard throughout the plane via intercom. "The plane will now begin its descent into London. I hope you enjoyed your flight." No, flight attendant, I did not enjoy my flight.

We made our way through the crowded airport and into the streets of London where my aunt quickly hailed a cab to take us to the suburbs outside of the city. It was a long drive, but one where Aunt Charlotte and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with each other.

"And then, Connor said that Travis should eat the potato and he did! You should've seen his face when he found out!" My aunt erupted in to a fit of laughter. It was just like old times, before camp and Hogwarts. We used to be really close, and share everything. I really missed that. About an hour later we were home.

Aunt Charlotte lived in a quiet neighborhood, which was mostly due to the fact that only old people lived in the neighborhood, meaning I was the only person under the age of forty that lived on the street. And my aunt was the one forty year old, and she was considered really young. As soon as we pulled into the driveway I raced out of the car and straight into the house. As much as I missed camp, and I really really did miss it, it was good to be home. I was greeted in the living room by Aunt Charlotte's two cats, Cheryl and Alice. Cheryl was a tabby cat who snuck around the house rarely ever being seen. Alice was all black and was never without a human companion. She hated being left alone and much preferred being carried around from place to place.

"Hey Cheryl. Hey Alice. Throw any wild parties while we were gone?" I joked. The cats gave a quiet meow in response making me giggle and give them a quick stroke on the back. "I missed you guys." Alice purred contently, but Cheryl hissed and ran quickly out of the room. "You haven't changed much have you Cheryl?" But she was long gone.

…

Sleeping that night was nearly impossible. I tossed and turned. My sheets, dampened by my cold sweat, stuck to my body creating more discomfort. The house moaned and creaked with any small gust of wind. The insomnia was in and of itself tiring, and after hours laying awake I finally felt my eye lids grow heavy, and I entered a world of dreams. Only when I woke up did I realize how much I wished I would've stayed awake.

I was in a cave. At least, that where I thought I was. The ceiling, walls, and floors were all made of a rough type of rock. Stalagmites hung from the ceiling, making me nervous. Unlike most stalagmites, these ones seemed to be in danger of falling and killing me. So I was weary of them.

I had no idea where I was walking to, but I kept walking forward. I was drawn towards something in the distance, and I had no control over where my body was taking me. Closer and closer I was taken towards the chasm. Yes, that's what it was. Now I was close enough to see that. But why wasn't I stopping? I was getting dangerously close to the chasm and showing no signs of ever stopping. Panic consumed me. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find my voice. I wanted to run away, but my body was being controlled. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the feeling that would surly come with falling to my death.

But no feeling of falling ever came. I summoned all of my courage to open one eye slowly, and then the other eye. I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't falling; I was standing on the very edge of the chasm. Too close in my opinion. I tried to back away but my feet were glued to the ground. The air around me seemed old. How air could seem old, I'll never know, but this air did. It unsettled me. Something was not right; I knew that for a fact.

Then, a cold breeze was stirred up from the very bottom of the deep chasm, making me shiver, despite my mind telling me to get away in whatever way possible. The breeze was wrapping around me, suffocating me. If I had ever wanted to scream before, it was nothing compared to what I was feeling now.

Then there was a voice, cold and cruel, like a knife being slide slowly across one of the rocks beside me. "So little hero, you're going away and leaving all your little friends behind? Ha! What a foolish mistake."

Suddenly, I found my voice, but it was just a small scared whisper. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? I mean that once you go away you will never come back. If all goes according to plane, there won't be a Camp Half Blood to return to."

My heart was thumping so loudly I was sure the voice could hear it. "W-what are you going to do to my friends?" I asked quietly, desperately not wanting him to answer.

"Well, I'll have to dispose of the little 'heroes' won't I? I can't have them ruining my plan."

"Please, don't hurt them. I'll do anything, just please don't hurt them!"

"Why would I make deals with you half- blood? You are nothing to me. Now go, I have no more need for you." The breeze was rushing back into the chasm, pushing my forward. I lost my balance and slipped, falling in the chasm…

…

I was screaming, and I was falling. My body was so consumed by fear that my mind didn't even realize the fact that I was actually in my bed. And by the time that I did realize that there was no immediate danger to me, my voice was hoarse from the yelling, but I still screamed. It had all seemed so real, the voice, the cave, the terrifying fall to my death, and even worse the message the voice had given me. What did it mean? Why would he "dispose" of my friends? What kind of plan did he make? All I knew was that it couldn't be good. But one thing was more frightening than any of that. If I was just as disposable as everybody else, why then would he seek me out to tell me his plans? I had a feeling I would never know.

I wanted to run into my aunt's room and cry and fall asleep in her warm comfortable bed, just as I had done when I was a little girl. But luckily, this time my aunt came to me. I guess all my screaming had woke her up. I knew that living with a half - blood wasn't easy for her. I could tell that she was scared, and I was too. Being so far from camp, if a monster chose to attack me, what chance did I have to get help? Anyway, Aunt Charlotte came into my room dressed in her white nightgown. Her usually neat caramel colored hair looked like a rat's nest piled on top of her head. "Annie, what happened? Are you hurt?"

My blue eyes sparkled with tears, and I really wished I hadn't started to cry. I never cry, after all what did that solve? I hated showing weakness. When you grew up in a camp as the youngest person in your cabin, you realize that crying will only make you look small and weak. I had to learn that the hard way. But still, when I spoke my voice was shaking. "N-no, i-it's nothing."

My aunt gave me a sympathetic look and came over to sit on my bed. "It's obviously not nothing. Annie, you've haven't looked this upset in a long time." I laid my head down on her chest and allowed her to stroke my curly brown hair.

"It was just a nightmare." I said finally.

My aunt looked relieved. "Oh, well that's not so big of a deal. After all, nightmares are only in your head."

I leaned my head off her chest and shook it back in forth. "No, you don't understand. When half- bloods dream, especially like the one I had, it means something."

Aunt Charlotte pursed her lips. "Are you sure Annie?" I nodded. "Well there's nothing that can hurt you right now. Go back to sleep for a few more hours, we're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow!" I nodded my head and laid back down on my pillow, and tried to let sleep find me again.


	4. Chapter 3: Through a Brick Wall

**Hey, sorry it took me so long to update. I feel really bad about saying this, but I've actually had this chapter written for more than a week but I was just to busy (and lazy) to edit and revise it. But the good news is, I have the next 3 chapters written! Just to warn you, at first Annie doesn't like the Weasleys all that much, but that changes by the end of the chapter. I just don't want you guys to get all mad at me for the little bit of "weasley bashing". And also, I love Fred and George. But during the first 4 years of school, Annie doesn't. And after that...well you'll just have to wait and see but it will be totally awesome. **

**And again, I have to beg for reviews. PLEASE REVIEW! It gives me inspiration to write, and as NaNoWriMo comes to a close and I'm still behind, I need all the inspiration I can get. More reviews= faster update.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: Through a Brick Wall

After another couple of hours of a very fitful sleep, I noticed the sun streaming in through my window. Well, looked like I might as well get up. I climbed out of bed and walked down the stairs, but stopped when I heard voices. Who could be over this early? "Aunt Charlotte! Who's over?" I yelled as I continued down the steps. But I stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. There was a woman talking to my aunt. She was smiling widely and laughing at something my aunt had said. She had red hair, pulled hastily out of her face. She was slightly plump, but in a good sort of way. It made her look kinder, like someone I could trust. But the thing that made me blush scarlet was the four boys , three of which were holding back laughter and looking my way.

My aunt looked up from her conversation. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty." Ugh, why must she be so embarrassing? The three boys that had been previously trying to hold back their laughter had snorted in laughter at this.

If it were possible for my cheeks to get any redder, I'm sure they did. Who were these boys and why where they at my house so early in the morning and why did they feel the need to laugh at everything I did? After all, it was still early in the morning. I took a quick glance at the clock on the stove and my eyes widened in surprise. It was nearly noon.

The woman talking with my aunt turned around to scold the three boys who looked down in mock shame, only pretending to be sorry for their mother. Aunt Charlotte was still smiling at me the whole time. "Annie, this is Mrs. Weasley and her four sons, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron. We're going to Diagon Alley with them." Oh right, we were shopping today.

"Um, it's nice to meet you. I'll, uh, be right back." I said awkwardly. I stomped up the stairs in a silent tantrum and the talking resumed in the kitchen. Stupid little red heads. It was Fred, George, and Ron who had been making fun of me, and I found myself instantly disliking them. I think I'm just going to hang out with Percy today. He seems nice enough. I was silently cursing the three of them as I threw open my dresser and pulled out my orange Camp Half- Blood t- shirt and a pair of jean shorts. After pulling my hair back into a quick ponytail and brushing my teeth, I was ready to go back and face them.

As I walked back into the kitchen I noticed that Fred and George were talking quietly to each other and laughing. They were identical twins, with the same red hair, same pattern of freckles, and the same mischievous grins. They reminded me a lot of Connor and Travis, and for some reason that thought annoyed me. Ron was sitting not too far away tapping impatiently on the table, occasionally glancing towards his mother as if he was willing her to move faster. Percy was sitting by himself, not talking, not tapping. Just sitting there like a good little boy. I went to sit by him.

"Yes, and Percy made prefect this year! Isn't that wonderful Charlotte?" Mrs. Weasley asked my aunt.

"Really? That's great Percy congratulations." She said.

"Thank you Mrs. Jensen." Percy said politely.

Fred and George snorted simultaneously at his response. I think I heard Fred (or was it George?) mutter to the other, "And in his 7th year he'll probably make Head Boy, more like BIG head boy if you ask me". The twins erupted into silent laughter and Percy shot a look that could kill Medusa.

"Mum, can we go yet?" Ron asked, slightly whining.

"Ron, don't be rude. But yes, Charlotte, if you're ready we can go. I think the boys are getting impatient." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Sure, just let me grab the keys," Aunt Charlotte said.

Ron looked up. "What for?" Mrs. Weasley gave her son a scolding look, but didn't comment.

"Oh, I have to get the key to Annie's Gringott's vault, and the car keys."

"Gringotts? What's Gringotts?" I asked. Mrs. Weasley looked at me strangely, but quickly realized what she was doing and smiled.

"Gringotts is a bank in Diagon Alley. You're going to need to get your money to buy the school supplies." She explained and I nodded in understanding.

"We're taking the car?" Ron asked, his eyes wide, but I couldn't tell if it was fear or excitement.

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" I asked curiously. Okay, maybe I was being slightly rude but I was still kind of mad at him for laughing at me.

"Well, we usually use Floo Powder to get to Diagon Alley." Ron explained.

"Our home is not connected to the Floo Network, Ron." Aunt Charlotte said as she came back into the room. Ron nodded and went back to tapping on the table.

…

An hour of being squished into the backseat of my aunt's cars between Ron and Percy, listening to the constant bickering between Percy and the twins, and Ron asking if we were almost there, we finally arrived outside of some run down little pub. Nobody seemed to give the building a second glance, except for Aunt Charlotte and the Weasleys, because they were heading straight towards it. I didn't want to go in there; it looked kind of shady if you asked me. But still, I followed them, having to sprint to catch up.

The place was called the Leaky Cauldron, and instantly I knew this was no ordinary pub. I suddenly realized why nobody was looking at the Leaky Cauldron besides us. They were muggles, as my aunt had said. The Leaky Cauldron most likely had some sort of spell on it that acted like the Mist, making muggles not be able to see it for what it really was.

When I entered the pub my eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting, but when they did everything I saw was odd. There was a couple people sitting around tables, all dressed in strange robe like clothing just as Mrs. Weasley was. Behind the bar counter were strange bottles with even stranger names, like Butterbeer and Firewhiskey. "Good afternoon Tom!" Mrs. Weasley greeted cheerfully. The bartender waved back, but was in the middle of working with a customer so he couldn't talk to us. We continued our way through the building and into a small back room.

It was a dead end. Why had we gone back into this small dead end room, when we were supposed to be going to this Diagon Alley? None of it made any sense, but Aunt Charlotte and Mrs. Weasley have yet to steer us wrong, so I waited patiently for them to do something.

Mrs. Weasley pulled out a large stick, which I took to be her wand, and started tapping the bricks as if she had done this a million times before. I didn't see how tapping a wand against some bricks would do anything, but I was forced to eat my words when the wall started spreading apart to reveal a large street packed with people. All of these people were dressed just as oddly as the people in the Leaky Cauldron. Some of them were weighed down by numerous packages and bags, some of them being dragged around by children to certain stores, and I even saw somebody, just about my age, who looked just as wide eyed and dumbstruck as I felt in this alley.

The shops were all strange. There was Flourish and Blotts, whose store windows boasted the best spell books in town, Ollivanders, who sold quality wands, and Florean Fortescue's ice cream, which sold the oddest flavors of ice cream (pork chop ice cream, who would even buy that?). This was all so surreal. None of the Weasley boys seemed to notice anything strange or out of the ordinary. I assumed that since they grew up in a world of magic, this kind of stuff would stop amazing them at some point. But I too had grown up in a world of dryads and centaurs, and if that's not magical I don't know what is. But this magic was different. I could tell that already. At camp, magic seemed ancient, just words spoken in ancient Greek. But here, magic was more real, not just something the children of Hecate could do, but a very common everyday thing.

Mrs. Weasley was walking with purpose straight towards a large white building on the corner. We all followed closely behind, me sticking close to my aunt. I knew the building was Gringotts bank even before we got there. The building was bigger than any other on the street, and leaned in odd directions. We marched up the steps and into the building.

If I had thought that everything else in Diagon Alley was out of the ordinary, it was nothing compared to the sight I saw in Diagon Alley. Little men with scrunched up faces, large ears, and a scowl on their face stomped around the room carrying large stacks of paper, pushing carts, or working with other witches and wizards. "What are those things?" I asked Ron, who was looking around Gringotts completely unimpressed.

He jumped slightly at my voice, as I had been completely silent the entire trip. "Goblins. They work here."

"Oh." And we were back to our silence.

We walked straight up to a goblin behind a tall desk, who looked just as angry and mean as the rest of them. "I need to make a withdrawal for my niece. Vault seven hundred and seventy three." Aunt Charlotte told the goblin.

"Does she have her key?" It asked. She nodded and held out a large bronze key. "Right this way."

We left with the goblin leaving the Weasleys behind after promising to meet them outside of Madame Malkin's to shop for robes. He led us along winding corridors, and dark passageways, before we finally got to a small cart.

"Are we getting in there?" I asked my aunt nervously. Honestly, the cart really didn't look that safe.

"Yes, that's how we're going to get to your vault." She explained.

"Why can't we just walk?" I asked curiously. There really wasn't a need to waste time riding on some rickety old cart.

The goblin had overheard our conversation and laughed. "You can't expect to just walk around Gringotts!" he wheezed. "You could wander around for years, and never see the whole thing. To get to just your vault would take days!" He continued to chuckle to himself as he got on the cart.

It really wasn't that funny. How could a building truly be so big that you could wander around it for years and not see the whole thing. It was ridiculous! But then again, there had been plenty of ridiculous things the past couple of days.

"You better hold on tight dear." Aunt Charlotte warned me.

"Why-" The words were taken right out of my mouth as the cart started. It moved so fast that I almost fell off several times. It went up and down, left and right, several times. It was faster than any roller coaster I had ever been on. I had to close my eyes tight to avoid losing my lunch all over my aunt, who by the looks of it was not doing much better. Then finally it was over.

"Vault seven hundred and seventy – three. Key please." The goblin said, holding out his long, grimy hand. Aunt Charlotte handed it over and started to get out of the cart, dragging me with her.

The goblin stuck the key in a small key hole and opened the vault for us, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw inside. It was a huge room, probably bigger than my bedroom at home. It was filled to the brim with piles and piles of huge gold coins, silver coins, and a few bronze coins. There were also gilded frames of old men, which startled me when I saw one of them reach up to scratch his nose. Sparkly, ancient looking jewelry, a golden sword, and other artifacts were also seen littering the piles.

"Wh – Where did all this come from?" I asked in awe.

"Well, your mum was pretty rich. You wouldn't expect her to leave you with nothing, would you?" She asked.

"But I don't understand. If you're so rich, why do you still work? Why not just come here and get money?"

"No, Annie, your _mum_ was rich. All this money she inherited was supposed to be split with me, but as a squib, my parents didn't think I would have much a use for wizard money." She explained.

"Wizard money… is that what these coins are?"

She nodded in confirmation. "Yes, this one is a galleon. It's worth the most." She said as she help up the large gold coin. She put it down and picked up the silver one. "This is a sickle, worth the second most." Then Aunt Charlotte picked up the little bronze one. "This is a knut. Worth the least. There are seventeen sickles to a galleon, twenty – nine knuts in a sickle, and four hundred ninety – three knuts to a galleon." I nodded my head, but still didn't think I would ever remember that.

"How much should I take?" I asked. After all, I didn't know how much everything on my school supplies list would cost.

"Just take a couple handfuls of galleons, and a few sickles and knuts." She said as she pulled out a little purple pouch and handed it to me. "Here, just put the money in there." I did as I was told and we went back onto the cart, through the maze of corridors that was Gringotts, and before I knew it, we were back on the streets of Diagon Alley.

The street was still just as crowded as it was before we went into the bank, and we had to fight our way through the crowds to move towards Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Excuse me. Sorry…" I had to keep repeating these words as we rushed towards the shop, my aunt clutching my hand and dragging me forward. Finally I spotted the Weasleys up ahead outside the shop.

"There you are!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "I was starting to get worried!"

"Yes, we took a little longer than expected in Annie's vault." Aunt Charlotte explained.

"Percy, take Fred and George to get their school books. We might be here for awhile." Molly Weasley told her son. "Annie, I expect that you need to get your school robes too."

"Robes-" I started.

"Yes. Come on in Annie." Aunt Charlotte said, interrupting me.

I hated feeling so stupid here. Everybody knew what was going on, but I was the one that always had to ask the questions. I was getting quite sick of it! What is this? What is that used for? What's a galleon? Why do goblins work at a bank? So many questions that everybody else knew the answer too. I wasn't used to being the one that had to ask about everything, and I hoped it wouldn't be that way for long.

There was a middle aged woman flitting about the shop, straitening robes and talking to customers, before she saw us. "Welcome to Madame Malkin's. Hogwarts students I presume? I'll be with you in a second." She said and turned back to another customer who was asking her a question. After a few minutes she turned back to us.

"I'm going to need you two to stand over there." She said, pointing to a spot in front of a large full length mirror. Ron and I walked over and stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

"Why do we need to get school robes?" I asked suddenly.

Ron looked at me as if I was crazy for a few moments before, he seemed to understand. "I keep forgetting that you're new to all this. Anyway, we're getting our uniforms."

"Oh."

"Your aunt seems to know a lot about Hogwarts and stuff, why didn't she tell you?"

"Oh, uh, she's a squib. I guess she has her own reasons for not telling me sooner. It was a huge shock when I got my letter this summer. I fell out of a tree when I got it."

Ron laughed. "Seriously? Bloody hell, what were you doing in a tree?"

"I was, umm, playing a game with some friends at this camp I go to during the summer." I explained, which was basically the truth, just with a few details left out.

"Cool. So are you excited to play quidditch? My brothers say it's pretty exciting at Hogwarts. First years never make the team though…" Ron said.

"Quidditch?"

"Bloody hell-"

"Ronald! Watch your language!" Mrs. Weasley called from across the shop.

"Sorry Mum!" Ron called back, and then he turned towards me. "As I was saying, I can't believe you don't know what quidditch is!"

"Sorry, I grew up with, uh what's the word? Oh right! I grew up with muggle sports. You know, basketball, football, and at camp we can play a mean game of volleyball!"

Ron stared at me. "What are those sports? I've never even heard of them."

"Really? Well, in basketball you have to shoot a ball into a hoop to make a basket, and in football you kick this ball around and into a net. And in volleyball you have to bump this ball back and forth across a net and whenever it touches the ground you get a point."

Ron still stared at me with a vacant expression on his face. "Oh, umm, nice. In quidditch we fly on broomsticks to-"

"You fly on broomsticks? Really?"

Ron looked confused. "Yeah, of course. Anyway, the chasers have to throw the quaffle through a hoop, and the keepers have to block it. The beaters have bats to hit the bludgers with, and the seekers have to catch the golden snitch in order to win one hundred and fifty points for their team and end the game." He explained.

"Sounds fun! But you said first years can't play? Bummer."

"Yeah, I've played before at home, but it's not the same. I'm usually stuck with keeper."

Just then, Madame Malkin came over carrying a tape measure in her hand. "I'm just going to have to measure you for your robes, arms out." I did as I was told and she started to measure me.

"So, what house do you think you'll be in?" Ron asked, trying to restart our conversation.

"I don't know. I don't know that much about any of the houses really."

"Oh, well I hope I'm in Gryffindor. My entire family has been in that house. What house were your parents in?"

"Well, my dad never went to Hogwarts. He's, err, he's not a wizard. I think my mum was in Slytherin, but I'm not sure."

Ron frowned slightly. "Oh." He said.

"Why did you say it like that? What's wrong with Slytherin?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, there's not a wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin." Ron noticed the look on my face and quickly revised what he had said. "I don't mean that your mum was bad or anything, she could've been really nice. I just mean, oh bullocks. What I mean to say is that there are some wizards who were in Slytherin who turned out to be, well, evil."

"Oh. Well, Gryffindor sounds like a good house. I guess I want to be in there." Madame Malkin was done measuring me and moved on to Ron.

"Anyway, there's Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too." Ron told me.

I shrugged. "Maybe I'll be in one of those houses. How do we find out which house we're in?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't know. Fred and George said that we had to wrestle a troll or something. But I don't believe them; they like to joke like that." I was suddenly nervous. Wrestle trolls? Sure, I had taken on plenty of monsters in the past couple of years, but that was always with my bow and arrow, and I couldn't just take that out to use in front of everybody at school could I?

"I hope they were joking." I mumbled.

Mrs. Weasley cut in smiling. I had almost forgotten that they were there. "Don't worry Annie. Fred and George were just joking; it's nothing nearly as scary."

I managed a small smile. "I hope so." I said.

"Okay, you are all ready to go. If you'll step this way to pay please." Madam Malkin said as she motioned to Mrs. Weasley and Aunt Charlotte. Ron and I stepped out of the small shop and back onto the streets of Diagon Alley because neither of us felt like spending an extra ten minutes in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions while our respective parental figures socialized.

"Are those your only brothers?" I asked Ron.

Ron shook his head. "No, there's still Bill and Charlie, and my little sister Ginny. They didn't come because they're not going to Hogwarts."

"Why not?"

"Well Bill and Charlie have already graduated. Bill's a curse breaker down in Egypt, and Charlie works with dragons in Romania. Ginny will go next year. She's not even ten years old yet." He explained.

Only one word stuck out to me the entire time he was explaining it. "Dragons?" I asked nervously.

I had had a bad experience with a dragon when I was about nine. Some idiot (CONNOR!) decided it would be a good idea to go explore the forest surrounding camp. While we were wandering around, without weapons I might add (another one of Connor's oh so brilliant ideas), we came upon this hidden grove. It looked peaceful enough so we decided to stop and rest. That was our biggest mistake. When you are a half blood, one of the first things you should know is to never trust something based on its appearance. A seemingly harmless little girl could turn out to be some blood thirsty harpy, a little tiny poodle could actually be a hell hound, and a peaceful grove in the forest could be the sleeping place of a fire breathing metal dragon.

We had all heard the legend of the mysterious bronze dragon that supposedly lived in the forest, but none of us really seemed to think it would ever affect us. After all, the Bronze Dragon had been gone for decades. Why would we stumble upon it now?

Travis was telling some story about this girl he liked in Aphrodite's cabin, when he stopped mid sentence. Apparently he had heard some noise behind the trees. He got up to go check it out, leaving Connor and I behind, completely bewildered.

"Run!" he had yelled as he ran towards the opposite direction, barely missing the flame that was spewing out of the trees. Connor and I reacted instantly, both stumbling to run the way Travis had. I made the rookie mistake of turning around to see what the thing chasing us was and fell over a rock.

It was a huge dragon made of bronze. Its eyes glowed red, making it look more menacing that it needed to be. The dragon drew in a huge breath and breathed a cloud of smoke in my face. I was too busy coughing and sputtering to realize that the dragon was about to breath fire. The back of its throat was glowing red hot, ready to reignite the flames and set me on fire.

I braced myself for death when two arms had wrapped around me and picked me up, carrying me out of the forest. Connor had saved me from the dragon. And if you're thinking it was just SO romantic, you would be SO wrong. Being rescued by some guy is way too terrifying for you to just stop and think just how romantic it all is.

I shook the memory away and listened to what Ron was saying. "Yeah, they're Norwegian Ridgebacks. It's too bad we hardly get to see him though."

"Yeah, that's too bad."

"Annie, hurry up dear. Don't you want to get your first wand?" Aunt Charlotte called as she grabbed my hand and dragged me foreword. I tried to get out of her grasp and shot a look at Ron that nearly screamed "HELP!"

Ron leaned over and muttered in my ear. "I absolutely hate it when my mum does that."

I giggled in response. I was actually starting to like Ron. No! Not in THAT way, in a friend kind of way. I found myself hoping that we would be in the same house, Gryffindor I think he said.

"Ollivanders is where I'll get my wand isn't it?" I asked him.

"Yeah. He's the best. Ollivander has a whole bunch of different kinds of wands which our good for different things. Though I doubt I'll ever get my own wand from there. I'm stuck with my brother Charlie's old wand… I think we're almost there." He was right. Up ahead was another small little shop reading Ollivanders: Makers of fine wands since 1467. My eyes bugged out a little at the sign. That was a long time to be making wands. It was just yet another thing to add to my ever growing list of things that were odder than necessary in the wizard world.

We stepped into the shop and were greeted by the small jingle of a bell that hung above the door. A small old man looked up from his place behind the dusty counter. "Welcome to Ollivander's, makers of fine wands. What can I do for you?"

"Well my niece here needs her first wand!" Aunt Charlotte said, a little too happily.

"Yes, yes. Right this way. What's her name?" The man, Ollivander I guessed, asked.

"My name's Annie Greyman." I told him.

"Yes, come over here Annie. Well let's see, I think you should try…" He reached behind him to a shelf laden with hundreds of long thin boxes. "Ah, this one." He handed me a wand, and I took it slowly. "This wand is twelve inches, unicorn hair core, and willow. Good for charms." I looked at him slowly. Was I supposed to know what to do? "Go on, give it a wave." I did as I was told and almost instantly the glass window exploded. Ollivander sighed and took out his own wand. "Reparo." He said, and the broken glass immediately went back into place.

"Woah…" I breathed.

"No, no, defiantly not. Hold on a second Annie." Ollivander disappeared behind a shelf and returned a few seconds later with another wand. "This one is ten inches, holly, and dragon heartstring core. Great for transfiguration and hexes." He told me as he held out the wand. I took it and waved it, just like before. But this time, an entire shelf of wands collapsed to the floor.

"Sorry." I muttered.

Ollivander just waved his wand and the boxes were back where they were supposed to be. "Most defiantly not the right one. Why don't we try this one?" He reached down to pick up one of the wand boxes that had previously fallen to the floor. "Eleven inches, phoenix feather core, made of oak. Great for defensive spells. Go on, give it a wave." I was not too eager to be waving around anymore wands today after what had happened. If anything, I just wanted to grab a wand and get out of this shop. But Aunt Charlotte had said the wand chooses the witch. So if I were to do that, the wand probably wouldn't work to good for me. So I gave in to his request.

Almost instantly, the tip of the wand started to glow softly, and I felt as if that wand was an extension of my arm itself. It was an amazing feeling. "Good! Brilliant! This is the wand for you Annie."

"Thank you." I told him, and went back to my aunt so we could go.

After I had gotten my wand, the four of us made our way down to Flourish and Blotts where Mrs. Weasley had said that Percy, Fred, and George would be waiting for us.

I was in a much, much better mood than I was in this morning. I guess my horrifyingly scary nightmare had made me slightly more irritable than I usually was at 11:57 in the morning. I figured that this change in attitude was more than likely due to my new found friendship with none other than Ron Weasley. Much to my surprise, he was actually nice, unlike his completely identical twin brothers who found their joy in making a joke at my expense. Not that Ron hadn't done that very same thing this morning, but I could tell that he was sorry. And if he wasn't, I honestly don't think I would care that much. After all, a friend is a friend, no matter what had happened in the past. Besides, I was really grateful that I would at least have one person at Hogwarts, and I wouldn't be completely alone as I had anticipated. I hoped that this reasoning didn't mean I would have to put up with the Weasley twins. No, I guess I could be civil to them. After all, once I had given Ron a chance, he had turned out to be really nice.


	5. Chapter 4 The Scarlet Train

**Hey guys! I know I haven't updated in forever, or at least it feels like that to me, but I am really really sorry! I have about 5 other chapters written, but not revised (and trust me, they need to be revised.). But in other news, I WON NANOWRIMO! Yes, 50,000 words in 30 days. countless hours of staying up late and beating my head on a desk in frustration have finally paid off. But this story will be much longer than 50, 000 words. I don't even think I'm half way done yet...**

**Anyway, the next couple of chapters have a little bit of just following the storyline of Soceror's Stone, but with some other scenes and stuff thrown in there. Just warning you, but they have to be in there...Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW! Then I will love you forever and more than likely move my lazy butt so I can revise the next chapter.**

Chapter 4: The Scarlet Train

For the first time in what seemed like forever, my sleep was dreamless. Let's just say that it was the most blissful sensation of my life. No terrifying chasms, no scary hell hounds, and defiantly no dark mysterious caverns. Nope, this sleep was one hundred percent dreamless. I wanted to stay that way forever, just me, my mind, and some much needed rest. But unfortunately Aunt Charlotte had other ideas.

"Annie, wake up sweetie. It's your first day of school! Aren't you excited?" Ugh, she was in a much too chipper mood. I, not being a morning person, did not want to put up with that.

"No." and I pulled my pillow tightly over my head and rolled in the other direction.

"Annie, the train leaves at eleven o' clock. If we're late, you are not going to Hogwarts." She warned.

"Just five more minutes…please?" I added meekly.

"No. Get out of this bed right at this very moment before I force you out of bed. And trust me, you do not want me to have to force you."

She was right. As kind and cheery as my Aunt Charlotte might seem, she was bloody scary when she was angry. All it took was for one simple thing to get her started and you'd never hear the end of it. So, thinking that this was probably the better choice for me, I mumbled, "Fine."

"Good. Now hurry up. I made pancakes." And with that, Aunt Charlotte flounced out of my room and down the steps. Good morning to me.

Getting ready didn't really normally take as long as it did that morning, because my usual wardrobe mainly consisted of jean shorts and a t- shirt, and depending on the weather, a nice cozy jacket. But this morning was slightly different than any before it because I had been bad. I had procrastinated packing my trunk until the last possible minute. So basically, all of my school supplies where piled into a corner and my clothes were still in my trunk.

I glanced nervously at the clock, but I didn't really want to look. It was about eight thirty, but with our long trip into London and all of my packing still needing to be done, I didn't know if we would make it. I sighed heavily. Why hadn't Aunt Charlotte woke me up sooner?

I didn't have time to carefully fold every article of clothing that I put into my trunk. Instead I just grabbed as many t- shirts as I possibly could and shoved it into my trunk. After that had been done, I had to try to make all my school supplies fit. It was a tight squeeze, but after about thirty minutes of rearranging, I finally got it all to fit.

I was about to close my trunk when I remembered something. All of my camp stuff. I wouldn't feel right not having it with me. I would feel so…unprotected. Yes, that was the word. Without my camp supplies, if a monster chose to attack me I would be completely unarmed and would probably end up with a one way ticket to visit Hades. I did not want that. I walked over to my night stand and grabbed my celestial bronze knife. Sure, I wasn't great with close combat, but it was all I had. After all, I couldn't really take a bow to Hogwarts. People would think I was crazy. I started to put it in my trunk, but hesitated last minute. What good was a knife if it was hidden away in my trunk? In a split second decision, I decided to strap it to the inside of my leg. If I needed it, it would be right there with me, but I wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions about why I was carrying a deadly weapon with me.

There, now I had a weapon, but I still felt off. I tried to think of things that would help me out if I needed it. Well let's see, there was Medea's SPF five thousand sunscreen, a retractable spear, and…Golden Drachmas! That was what I needed most! I had to have a way to contact camp, and in order to Iris Message, I would need some form of payment. I smiled as I grabbed a small beaded pouch from the back of my closet and filled it with a handful of drachmas. I wouldn't have enough to contact camp every day, but it was enough for me to contact them enough so that Connor and Travis wouldn't get worried.

I went through a mental list of everything I had and finally concluded that I was good. I closed my trunk quickly and dragged it down the stairs and into the kitchen. As she had said, Aunt Charlotte was there with a steaming plate of chocolate chip pancakes. You don't know how much I'll miss her cooking. "Thanks Aunt Charlotte." I said as I took the plate from her and started to drown my pancakes in maple syrup. Delicious.

"No time to just stop and enjoy the pancakes. We have to be out of the house in five minutes if we want to make it to King's Cross station on time."

I looked up at her slowly. "How could a train from King's Cross take me to a magical school. I thought that muggles couldn't know about magic." My aunt laughed, making me blush.

"No, they don't know. There's a special platform for Hogwarts students. Platform 9 ¾. It's really amazing, just you wait and see." I nodded as I took my last hurried bite of my chocolate chip pancakes.

"Okay, I am ready to go." I said, springing up from my chair.

"All right, let's get going." Aunt Charlotte said as she grabbed her car keys off of the granite counter.

A lone black cat strolled purposefully into the kitchen, meowing softly. "I'm sorry Alice. I should have said goodbye to you." I apologized as I picked her up, holding her close to my chest. "I'll miss you kitty." I looked around for Cheryl, who was usually two steps behind Alice at all times, but she was no where to be seen. "Make sure you tell Cheryl goodbye too, okay?" Alice meowed quietly and jumped out of my hands in response. And then I followed my aunt out of our house for the last time in a couple of months.

The car ride to King's Cross seemed to take forever. Aunt Charlotte always insisted on listening to her favorite sixties rock bands. Last car ride, when we had talked together instead of her singing a chorus of some odd song, was a rare treat. Instead, I was forced to stare out the wind and try to fight off sleep. The passing scenery was nothing new, as I had seen it several times on our trips to and from London, so that brought no type of entertainment to me.

Finally, I spotted the train station in the distance. "Hurry Annie, we only have ten minutes before the train leaves!"

My aunt's announcement had shocked me out of my sleepy stupor and I jumped quickly out of her little car. We rushed through King's Cross passing several disgruntled civilians as we pushed through the crowds. I had no idea what our destination was, Platform 9 ¾. It didn't seem like it was a real platform at all, but as things often were in the wizard world, it was very, very odd. We were walking straight past several different platforms. Platform 1, Platform 2, Platform 3, and all the way to Platform 9. This is where we stopped.

I trusted Aunt Charlotte to know where we're going, but I didn't know what we were doing here. As far as I could see, there was no Platform 9 3/4. Just Platform 9 and Platform 10, nothing in between them except for one brick column. "Umm, Aunt Charlotte, there is nothing here. No Platform 9 ¾. No nothing." I said dejectedly. Okay, I'll admit, I was actually starting to look forward to Hogwarts, no longer dreading it like the plague.

And then Aunt Charlotte did something that really pushed my buttons. She laughed. Aunt Charlotte seems to be doing an awful lot of that lately. "What? Why are you laughing at me? There is absolutely nothing here."

Aunt Charlotte continued to giggle, but composed herself enough to say, "Annie, I'm sorry. I should not have laughed. It's just that, I remember doing the same thing when I first came to see your mother off to school. I think that it must run in the family."

"But where is it? I still don't get it!"

This just made my aunt laugh harder. "It's right there." She said, pointing towards that lonely brick column.

"Umm, there's nothing there Aunt Charlotte."

She shook her head still laughing softly. "You have to walk through that pillar to get to the Platform."

I stared at her dumbfounded. "Walk … through a brick wall? Seriously? That's insane!"

"No, it's not. I promise. Just walk straight through the barrier, but don't hesitate. Close your eyes if it helps." I still stared at her. "Go on! You're going to miss the train. Do it at a run if you need to."

I shook my head slowly. If she was lying to me, I swear on the River Styx, that I would never forgive her. I closed my eyes and ran straight to the barrier. I was running and running and running, waiting to collide with the wall. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting the worse, and was absolutely shocked by what I saw.

A glistening, scarlet, steam engine was right in front of me. Hundreds of parents were scattered around it giving their children last minute hugs and kisses. I walked along the edge of the train, not even noticing that Aunt Charlotte had appeared right behind me. "Wow…" I breathed, completely in awe.

"That was my initial reaction too." She told me. "Now hurry, the train will leave soon." She bent down to kiss the top of my head and shooed me away. "Don't forget to write!" She called.

I turned back and smiled to her. "I won't! I love you!" Then I picked up my trunk and disappeared onto the Hogwarts express.

Most of the compartments were full. Full of several older students, and a few students about my age, who looked just as nervous and out of place as I felt. I was completely lost. It was like that awkward moment on your first day of kindergarten when you walk onto the bus and have no idea who to sit by. Yeah, it was defiantly just like that.

Finally I saw a compartment that looked empty, but upon opening the door discovered that a small skinny boy had already occupied it. "Do you mind if I sit here?" I asked the boy quietly. He nodded, and turned back to staring out the window. The boy was really, really thin, or maybe he just looked like that because of the oversized clothes he was wearing. He had jet black hair, and startling green eyes that were covered with glasses, and when he brushed the hair out of his face, I caught a small glimpse of a scar. "My name's Annie." I said suddenly, startling even myself.

The boy jumped too. "Harry. Harry Potter." I nodded smiling, which made Harry smile back too. "Are you a muggle born?" He asked.

"No. Why?"

"Well you're the first person I've talked to hear who hasn't made a big deal about my scar."

I stared at him questioningly. "What's the big deal about a scar?" I asked. "I have plenty of them."

Harry shook his head. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head. "Nope, please enlighten me."

Harry smiled. "I don't know if I could tell you that well. I didn't even know about it until just a couple of weeks ago."

"So are you a muggleborn then?" I asked. How else could he possibly not know anything about the wizard world? That is, besides the reason that I had, because even I could acknowledge that my situation was rather odd.

"No. My parents were wizards."

My eyes bugged out slightly at his use of words. "Were?"

He looked down sadly at my question. "Yeah, were. They, uh, they died when I was a baby. I never knew them." He explained.

"Oh, well I'm sorry. I never knew my mum. She left me with my aunt when I was about a year old. And my dad, well, he doesn't care about me enough to actually watch me." I heard thunder rumble off somewhere in the distance, but I didn't care. I got a sort of sick satisfaction out of saying that about Apollo. After all, it wasn't far from the truth at all. What was I to him? Just another kid crowding up his cabin, that's what. I would be deluding myself to think otherwise.

"Oh, well sorry. I guess we're kind of in the same boat then, aren't we?"

I smiled, forgetting my moment of sadness entirely. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Just then there was a soft knock at the door, making us both jump about ten feet in the air. I looked out the door of the compartment to see who was bothering us, and sighed with relief upon seeing who it was. There was Ron, standing there with a rat in one hand and the other raised in a manner that implied that this was the hand he had knocked on the compartment door with. "Ron!" I nearly yelled, getting up to open the door for him. "Ron, come on in."

Ron nodded and walked into the compartment. "Thanks a ton Annie. There is absolutely nowhere else to sit."

"Oh, no problem. I want to introduce you to someone. Ron this is Harry…Potter right?" Harry nodded and Ron gasped in astonishment.

"Bloody hell. You're Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded slowly. I could see what he meant about people making a big deal about his scar. Ron, as part of a wizard family, would probably know all about him. "And you're Ron, I take it?"

Ron nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Ron Weasley. So do you, you know, do you have the scar?" Harry nodded and pushed up his bangs. There, clear as day, was a thin white line in the clear shape of a lightning bolt.

"Wicked…" Ron breathed. Yes, the scar was pretty cool. Every scar I had ever had was just a plain old boring line, at least Harry's was in the form of some shape. But one thing still confused me.

"Wait, I don't understand. What's the big deal about his scar?" Ron stared at me, disbelief clearly written on his face.

"You don't know?" he asked.

"Ron, you're forgetting that I didn't know about any of this until about a month ago."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Anyway, Harry, do you mind?" Harry nodded his head in Ron's direction, which I assumed meant that he was okay with it. "Yeah, when Harry was a baby this really evil dark wizard killed his parents, but when he tried to kill Harry, he couldn't. Harry survived, but he didn't. Everybody knows about him." Harry was blushing madly, but I was intrigued.

"What was the wizard's name?"

Ron glanced nervously in both directions. "We don't like to say his name."

"Please? Can't you just whisper it or something?" I asked, sighing in frustration.

"It was Voldemort." Harry said suddenly, making both of us look up at him questioningly. "That was his name, wasn't it?"

Ron shuddered a little bit. "Please don't say his name. Just say You Know Who."

"But that's kind of a mouthful, don't you think?" I said.

Ron just looked at me. "Just please call him You Know Who."

"Alright. Fine." I told him, finally sitting back down across from Harry. "So where are your brothers Ron?" I asked as I tried to relieve the tension that had grown between us.

"Oh, Percy's off with the prefects somewhere and Fred and George are more than likely with Lee Jordan."

"Oh." I was fiddling with my camp necklace absent mindedly. It was hard to stay focused on our conversation when so many other things were going on. For one thing, I was getting more and more nervous as we got closer to Hogwarts. About what, I probably couldn't say, I was just getting increasingly more nervous. And then there was something about Harry's story that unsettled me. It was just terrible the way his parents died and he was forced into a life where he was famous for something that wasn't even in his control, and so terrible that it would be hard to find anyone who could possibly understand what he was going through.

Ron and Harry had continued talking while I was lost in my own little world, so it was only when I came back down to earth that I realized what they were saying. "Oh, him? This is Scabbers. He was my brother Percy's rat, but Percy just got a new owl so I got Scabbers. Pathetic isn't he?" Harry laughed at Ron's little joke about his rat, and I cracked a small smile.

"Any thing from the trolley?" Called a voice from down the train. I could hear it coming closer and looked out to see a little old lady pushing a trolley laden with numerous sweets. They were all so weird! There was Drooble's best chewing gum, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, just to name a few. My stomach growled in response to the sight of all the food.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" The old lady asked us.

Ron pulled out a soggy and squashed looking sandwich with a grimace. "Nope." He said. "I think I'm covered." But I could tell that Ron wasn't satisfied with his snack. I started to get up but Harry beat me to it.

"We'll take the lot." He said, pulling a pile of the large gold coins known as galleons out from his own pants pocket.

And we did take the lot. We got a little bit of everything, from Chocolate Frogs to Drooble's Best Chewing Gum. And there we sat, munching on our treats. But Harry and I were slightly apprehensive about biting into a Chocolate Frog. After all, I knew enough about the wizard world to know that you should never judge something by its appearance, and wizards go out of their way to make sure that every little thing is out of the ordinary. A seemingly harmless frog made of chocolate could very well be some real live frog dipped in cocoa.

"Ron?" I said, trying to get his attention.

He looked up at me through a mouthful of candy. "What?" But his speech was slightly messed up so it came out more like "Whrat?"

"This isn't a real frog, is it?"

With a loud gulp signifying that he had finished chewing his food he spoke. "Of course not. It's just a spell. But anyway, it's the cards you want. I must have about two hundred by now."

I nodded to Harry, who had been waiting for me to ask that question before digging into his own chocolate frog, and we tore open the box. The frog did look remarkably real, but I knew now that it was just charmed to look like that. I was getting ready to grab the chocolate frog, ever so slowly, but right as I was about to close my hands around it, the darn thing jumped right out of the box and out the open window. And judging by the look on Harry's face, I could tell that his had done the same thing.

"Aw, rotten luck. They've only got one good jump in them to begin with. Oh well, so who did you get?" It took me a minute to realize that Ron was talking about the cards, so I looked down and sure enough there was a pentagon shaped card with a picture of a smiling black haired witch with a silver tiara type thing on her head. She may have been smiling, but there was something about her that made me immediately think of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Maybe it was the look in those gray eyes, or the way she held herself up. I don't know, but the whole thing just screamed "I am wise and powerful!".

"Who'd you get?" Ron asked, peering over my shoulder.

"Umm…" I looked down at the caption. "Rowena Ravenclaw. _Ravenclaw…_ That's a house at Hogwarts, isn't it?" I asked.

Ron nodded. "If you look on the back you can read all about her."

Sure enough on the back was a small paragraph about the witch in the picture named Rowena Ravenclaw.

_Rowena Ravenclaw_

_Medieval (actual dates unknown)_

_One of the four famous founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft_

_And Wizardry, Rowena was the most brilliant witch of her time, though _

_Legend has it that a broken heart led to her early demise._

"Harry, who do you have?" I asked him, peering over his shoulder just as Ron had peered over mine.

"I have Albus Dumbledore. Isn't he the headmaster or something?"

Ron nodded his head. "Yeah, he's the headmaster. I have about ten of him. But I don't think I have a Rowena Ravenclaw."

I handed it to him. "Go ahead. Take it."

Ron looked shocked, like he hadn't expected that I would actually give in to that."Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." I said while nodding.

"He's gone!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.

"Well of course he is." Ron said calmly, as he took the Rowena Ravenclaw card out of my outstretched hand. "You can't expect him to just stand around all day." What the heck was that supposed to mean? I glanced over at the card in Ron's hand and my eyes nearly popped out of my head because they were widened so large in surprise. Rowena Ravenclaw had just scratched her nose. I saw it. A picture of a person had just reached up to scratch its nose. It was unbelievable! It was unnatural! But it was so cool!

"Wow… the pictures move?" I said excitedly.

Ron looked entirely unimpressed. "Of course. Don't all pictures move?" I was about to tell him that no, most pictures stayed right as they were when they were taken, but I never got the chance to because Harry started to talk to Ron again. I tried to hide my annoyance and join right back into the conversation.

"Yeah, Fred and George told me this one spell for Scabbers, but I haven't tried it out yet, so I don't know how it will work." Ron explained.

"Awesome, you should try it." I encouraged.

Ron cleared his throat and brought out an old chipped wand and pointed it at the rat. "Sunshine, daisies-" A knock had interrupted his spell making him groan in frustration. All three of us turned around to see who it was. There was a girl there, already dressed in crisp and clean school robes, making my sloppy jeans and a t- shirt look downright embarrassing. She had very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth. She had an expression that clearly said that she was a bossy bookworm. Before we had even opened our mouths to let her into our compartment she started speaking.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." She asked in a know it all sort of voice.

"No, sorry." Harry said, but the girl didn't seem the least bit interested in the toad anymore. She was too busy staring at Harry's forehead.

"Jimminy Cricket. You're Harry Potter. I'm Hermione Granger." She said, sticking out her hand. "And you are?" She asked, turning to me.

"I'm Annie Greymen." I told her.

Then she turned her attention to Ron. "And what about you?"

"Ron Weasley." He said.

She looked at him with an odd sort of expression on her face. "Pleasure." But as soon as Hermione had seen the wand in Ron's hand, she instantly brightened. "Are you about to do magic? Let's see it then."

Ron looked at her uncomfortably. Obviously if his spell failed, he did not want it to be in front of Hermione Granger. But she had left him no room to back out, so he continued. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" His wand shot out a small spark that made Scabbers squeak angrily. But if the spell was meant to turn the rat yellow, I assumed that it had failed.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only tried simple spells, but they've all worked for me. For example," She turned her complete attention on Harry and took out her wand, pointing it at her head. "Occulus Reparo."

The effect was immediate. With a slight flick of her wand, Hermione had fixed Harry's once broken glasses, making the frames look as good as new. Harry took of his round glasses slowly and stared at them in awe, hardly daring to believe that they were truly fixed. "Uhh… thanks Hermione. Really."

Hermione Granger smiled smugly. "Oh, it was no problem. Anyway, we're almost at school. You three should probably put on your robes." I glanced slowly out the window. Sure enough, the sky was starting to grow darker and the countryside was now opening up into a wide range of mountains. Far away in the distance I could catch just a glimpse of a lake glittering in the last rays of sunlight. My heart was pounding inside my chest as my anticipation grew and grew until it completely enveloped me. A smile started to spread across my face.

"Sorry, I have to go. Neville still needs helps finding his toad. I'll see you when we get to school." Hermione said as she turned to walk out the compartment door.

"Wait! Hermione, do you need help finding him?" I asked her.

She smiled gratefully at me. "Sure, I would love that. And I'm sure Neville would too. Let's go." So Hermione and I left to go find the toad, which Hermione had said was named Trevor. After a quick goodbye to Harry and Ron and a promise to meet them before we got sorted, we were out of the compartment and on our way to find Trevor, the missing toad.

Hermione was talking a million miles per hour, leaving me no time to say anything that I wanted to. Instead she would talk and talk and talk and talk, only stopping to ask people who were passing by if they had seen a missing toad. I just smiled and nodded when appropriate, hoping that she would understand that I was not fully listening to her.

We had been at it for about ten minutes when I saw the two of them up ahead. They were talking to some guy about their age and laughing without a care in the word. It was the two Weasley twins, Fred and George. "Oh no." I muttered, but it was too late. They had seen me.

"Why, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty?" Fred, or maybe it was George (but not that it truly mattered), said.

"Do you know them?" Hermione asked me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, they're Ron's older brothers." I told her.

She smiled at them. "Oh, well it is really nice to meet you. But I was wondering if any of you had seen a toad. A boy named Neville lost his." She told them, one again resuming her all business voice.

One of the twins smiled mischieviously. "Why yes we have. Do you need him?"

"Yes." Hermione said. "Where is he? We're almost at the castle and I wouldn't want Neville to lose the poor toad before we even get to school."

"Ah, alright. We were done with the bloody thing anyway." One of the twins said as he handed me the toad. "I'm George, by the way."

"Umm.. thanks." I told George lamely.

"Aww, why did you do that? We could've stilled used it!" Fred whined, and the other boy joined in. I guessed that this other boy was Lee Jordan, the friend of the twins that Ron had told me about.

"Sorry. Too late now isn't it Fred?" George asked his brother.

"Guess so." He answered.

"Well thanks again." Hermione told them still smiling, and we walked away from them.

"Hermione, I should probably get going. We're almost there and I'm still not in my robes."

"Oh, okay. Just promise to meet up with me at Hogwarts."

I left Hermione there and went to go change into my robes. Well I was changing, something was eating away at me. George had seemed almost, well nice. He wasn't at all like the guy who had laughed and teased me at Aunt Charlotte's house the first day I was back from camp. He actually seemed like somebody I would want to get to know. But I shooed the thought out of my head. After all, giving me a toad when I asked for it didn't make up for the fact that he had humiliated me like that. I knew I was being stupid, hating them for laughing at me. But there was something else about them that really really irked me. They just seemed so much like Connor and Travis, that I was immediately annoyed by them. I liked to think that Connor and Travis were completely unique, and no twin wizards could change that.

Anyway, by the time I had changed into my black school robes, the train had stopped and the train corridors were flooded with students, all dressed in the same black robes. I would never find Harry and Ron, or even Hermione in a crowd like this, so I decided to just quickly exit the train with the flow of students.

The air outside was still reasonably warm for September, but it still had a little bite to it. Like it was trying to tell us that autumn was coming soon. I grimaced despite myself. I hated autumn. Winter was alright, and so was spring, and especially summer. But autumn was a time of saying goodbye to the best friends I had ever had and hello to the everyday school routine. Of course, this year was going to be quite different, but the memories associated with autumn were not pleasant ones. The most unpleasant of these, though it's not really a true memory seeing as I can't really remember it, is that it was during Autumn that my mother had deserted me. It was during autumn that mother decided that she no longer loved me, that is if she ever loved me at all, and left me with my aunt. I despised her for this. Not that I didn't love my aunt, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Firs' years o'er here! Firs' years!" called a rough sort of voice. As a first year, I figured I better follow the voice so I could find my friends. I was getting ready to head that direction when I heard a voice.

"Psst.. Antigone."

My head snapped up abruptly, trying to find the voice that called my name. My full name. That's how I knew it was no ordinary voice calling out to me. Whoever was calling me was special, or important. Against my better judgment I went the way the voice had come from. It was brave, seeing as the voice could have been anything from a sweet old grandmother to a creepy old man. But some force seemed to be pushing me towards the voice, some outside force. This voice did not sound evil, as the voice in the cave had; rather it seemed kindly and timeless.

And as I made my way up to an old tree, just outside the train station, I saw him. He was tall, blonde, and powerful looking in his black track suit. There was something about him that just let me know that he was no ordinary man. Maybe it was his elfish features, or perhaps it was his striking blue eyes and mischievous grin. Whatever it was, all these things put together led me to one conclusion. "You're Hermes. Connor and Travis Stoll's dad."

"Yes." He told me. "But that is not usually the way people greet me. Messenger of the gods, yes, patron god of travelers, thieves, etc., sometimes. But usually not Connor and Travis' dad. Anyway, your father sent me. He wanted to give you something. To keep you safe at Hogwarts, I think he said."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" I asked him.

"Yes. Apollo said that he meant to give it to you before you left, but, well, he forgot." Hermes explained.

"Yessss, Apollo sssseemsss to do that a lot." came a small hissing sound from the inside of Hermes' track suit pocket.

"George! Be kinder to the sssun god when hisss daugher is ssstanding right there! Would it kill you to jussst hold your tongue for onccce?" asked a second voice from the same pocket.

"Sssorry Martha. But who caresss what she thinksss really?" asked the first voice. I tried not to feel too offended by that.

"George!" Reprimanded Martha.

"Both of you be quiet. I'm getting a migraine!" Hermes muttered angrily. "Do I need to put you to on vibrate mode again?" He finished, his voice nearly growling.

"You wouldn't" George said, but his voice didn't sound too sure.

"Oh, but I would." Hermes answered back, and by the tone of his voice I could tell that he was growing tired by this conversation. "Anyway, Antigone, here is your gift. Your father says to twist it."

I took the necklace that was dangling from his hand and fingered it slowly. "Twist it?" I asked, slightly confused. The necklace was beautiful, a pendant of the sun hanging on a golden chain. However, there was nothing on the necklace that I would be able to twist not that I saw at least.

"The sapphire." Hermes told me. "You're supposed to twist the sapphire in the center."

I looked down at the necklace. Sure enough, there was a sapphire twinkling in the moonlight in the center of the glittering golden sun. "This?" I asked him, even though I knew the answer.

"Yes. You're supposed to twist that."

I reached out my hand slowly in order to twist it, and with a slight flick of my fingers the sapphire spun and spun all around. As it was spinning the necklace started to change from a golden sun necklace into a brilliant golden bow with a sheath of arrows across my back. On the very tip of the bow was the same sun pendant. I reached up to twist the sapphire that was still in the center, and the effect was almost immediate. Once again the glittering, brilliant golden bow was a beautiful golden necklace hanging around my neck. "Woah..." I breathed.

"I have to go back to Olympus." Hermes told me suddenly. "Make sure you don't miss the boats. I don't want Apollo to blame me for making you late. Look away." I did as I was instructed and with a flash of blind white light, Hermes was gone. You see, the reason he told me to look away was not because he was embarrassed or something. You'll come to find that the gods of Olympus rarely take enough responsibility for their actions to ever feel embarrassed. No, the reason was that when a god teleports himself from place to place they reveal their true form, which is said to be so divine that if a mere mortal, or half- blood, were to look at it they would disintegrate on the spot. Fun stuff right?

Anyway, I was already late seeing as there were no more students to be seen crowding the streets of Hogsmeade. I tried to get to the place that I had thought I heard the big booming voice calling for the first years and saw a small crowd gathered around the bank of a large, glistening lake. I rushed over, trying to be as discreet as possible when I rejoined the group, but to no avail, because a huge man had called me out on it.

"Did ya get lost Miss..."

"Greymen, sir." I said, blushing madly.

"O' corse." The man said. Like I said, the man was huge, towering over the new students of Hogwarts. Which isn't really saying much, seeing as we were all first years and the majority of the students towered over us first years. But this man was so big that his hands must have been the size of trash can lids. "Well, jus join the group, then." He told me. I nodded, still utterly embarrased and stepped into line behind a boy who said his name was Neville. I guess he was the boy that had lost his toad, seeing as Neville wasn't a very popular name.

The man with the big hands continued to talk. "Firs' years are usually meant ter ride across ter Hogwarts in a boat, tradition I'd say. Anyway, two to a boat please." I looked around for Harry, Ron, or even Hermione but they were nowhere to be seen. As I was getting into a boat I noticed that Harry and Ron were way ahead of me in a boat together, and Hermione was in a boat with somebody who I didn't know.

I just settled for riding across the lake with Neville. I didn't know him that well, so our boat ride was sure to be a rather awkward one. Unlike Harry and Ron's boat ride which was sure to be a laugh, seeing as they were already talking and laughing up a storm. I climbed slowly into the boat with Neville and waited to take off.

I was slightly surprised to see that the boats floated across the lake by themselves with no assitance what so ever. Although, I don't know why I was surprised because everything in this world was always amazing, from the shops, to the sports, to the transportation. As we were floating across I could have sworn I saw something large slip in and out of the water. The thing had tenticles. I shivered despite myself and fingered my necklace unsurely. If anything happened I'd have protection now, better than I would have if I had stuck with my knife that is.

The boat ride was over after a little while and we docked on the side of a large hill facing up to a dark castle, but whose windows were very brightly lit.

Well, I guess this is going to be my new home for awhile, like it or not. So I better get used to it. I smirked inwardly causing Neville to give me a strange look. Just wait until I tell Connor and Travis that I am going to go to school in a castle! Oh, they will be so jealous! While I'm off learning magic tricks in a freaking castle, they'll be stuck back in the States. Life is good.


	6. Chapter5:PeruvianInstant Darkness Powder

**Hey! So, this isn't really my favorite chapter, but it had to be in here so here it is. I know that it's a lot of just following the books, but everything that's in here needs to happen. Oh, and I really don't hate Fred and George. I actually, absolutly love them (I literally cried for hours after Fred died), but Annie HAS to hate them, and you'll understand why later. And since this is in first person, the way the Weasley twins are portrayed is pretty biased. So please don't hate me because Annie hates them.**

**NaNoWriMo is over, so that means that I haven't been writing as much as usual, so updates might be slower now, but not by much. I still have another 3 chapters that are already written but not edited, so those could be up within the next week or two... so enjoy, and I really hate begging, but PLEASE REVIEW!**

Chapter 5: Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder

We had to walk up about a mile of steep steps, causing me to huff and puff the entire way. By the time we got to the top, I was nearly doubled over trying to catch me breath. But don't get me wrong, when you train at camp as hard as I do, you are in pretty good shape. But there were just too many stairs. I don't know how I'll ever survive if there are that many stairs in the castle.

I wasn't the only one that was out of breath. When I caught up to Ron and Harry they were breathing extremely heavily and red in the face. "Are... you...guys...alright?" I asked, still barely able to get even that out.

Harry looked up at me and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't get any words out. Ron tried to speak too but he was still breathing too heavily to do anything more than wheeze. Finally, after about ten whole entire minutes of them trying to regain their breath, Harry spoke. "That... was... a ... lot... of... steps."

"Yes.. I know." I told him. "Who's that guy that led us up here?" I asked Harry.

"Oh, that's Hagrid. He took me to Diagon Alley."

"Oh."

Hagrid led us up into the castle through giant double doors. "Welcome ter Hogwarts." He said dramatically and ushered us inside. The castle was nothing less than spectacular. We were entering a ginormous corridor with stone walls with metal suits of armor lining it. There were portraits too, and just like the Chocolate Frog cards they would move around. Some of them would lift off their hats and bow to us, some would curtsy, and some would just smile and wave. All of them welcoming us to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hagrid led us into a much smaller chamber off to the side of the entrance hall, and packed us in more tightly than was usual, each of us peering about the castle nervously. A tall black haired witch in emerald green robes, wearing a very stern face stood at the front of the room. I may not know her yet, but I knew that I would never want to get on the bad side of this lady. "The firs' years Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take it from here." Said Professor McGonagall. Ron was starting to look around nervously, about the sorting no doubt.

"Don't worry about it Ron." I said. "They wouldn't make us do anything too bad would they?"

"Easy for you to say. You didn't grow up with Fred and George. They seem to find it funny to torture me with things like this."

Harry suddenly looked at us. "They wouldn't make us do any magic would they?" He asked looking extremely distressed.

I shrugged my shoulders. "If they do, I'm in the same boat as you I don't know diddly squat about magic. My Aunt Charlotte practically raised me as a muggle." Harry smiled at me gratefully. I knew he was glad he wouldn't be the only one who had just recently found out about their wizard heritage. Of course, I knew that he would never be the only one who didn't know any magic. If what my aunt said was true there would be plenty of muggleborns at school. Professor McGonagall shot us a stern look before clearing her throat and starting to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Said Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because; while you are here your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule breaking will result in the immediate deduction of said points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes travelled from Ron's nose that was smudged with something that looked suspiciously like dirt, and on the boy named Neville who had his cloak fastened under his left ear. I could have been imagining it, but I could have sworn that her eyes lingered on me for just a second longer, no doubt because I probably looked like I had just run a marathon.

Everybody was looking around nervously, glancing from the ceiling to their shoes in anticipation. No one was talking that much really. That is to say, except for Hermione Granger who spent her anxious minutes of waiting whispering at a a very fast pace about all the spells she had learned and wondering which one she'll need for the sorting. It was hard not to listen to her as her whispers were the only thing making sound in the room.

Then something happened that made me jump ten feet out of my skin, and made several people in the small room cry out in fear.

"What the-" I heard someone say. I looked towards the back wall and gasped loudly, causing the rest of the first years to turn around and do the same. About twenty five ghosts had just crashed, well I shouldn't say crashed, more like floated or streamed through the wall. They glided a couple of feet above the ground and straight through the crowd of shocked first years. A pearly white lady ghost that looked to be from about medieval times, judging by her attire, went straight through me. "Oh, I am so sorry dear. Please forgive me." She said politely. I nodded my head to her and she turned around and went straight through the other wall.

There was also a little fat monk talking to another ghost wearing a ruffle around his neck and tights. "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance."

The other ghost shook his head vehemently. "My dear Friar," He said. "Haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost. He's a poltergeist for Merlin's sake- Oh, I must say, what are you all doing here?" The ghost finally noticed all of us listening intently to his conversation.

Nobody answered him.

"New students!" cried out the fat friar looking person as he smiled brightly at us. "About to be sorted I suppose?"

Only a few people nodded when he said that.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" The Friar said cheerfully. "That was my old House you know."

"Move along now." Said a sharp voice from the back of the room. I turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing in the back of the room in all of her emerald green robe glory. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." One by one the rest of the ghosts that had lingered in the room long enough for Professor McGonagall to return had filed out of the room.

"Now form a line." She told us. "And follow me."

All of the things I had been feeling lately, excitement, fear, nerves, crashed down suddenly and my legs didn't want to move.

"Come on Annie." Ron told me as he started to follow Harry, who looked rather sick, out the door.

"I'm coming." I shook away my fear and followed them.

I had never seen such a magnificent hall in my life. The hall was absolutely huge! Which I guess might contribute to the reason they call it the _Great _Hall. Four tables ran long ways up and down the hall, each with an exceptionally large number of students sitting at it. I guess that while I was riding on the Hogwarts Express I did not have the opportunity to truly see how big the school's population was. Each table was laden with piles of glittering gold dishes and goblets. All of us first years stared in wonder and awe at the magnificent room. Besides the long tables, the Great Hall was lit by thousands upon thousands of candles that dangled from the ceiling. And if you looked past the tables and the candles, you would see what truly made the Great Hall special. The ceiling of the Great Hall matched that of the sky outside perfectly. The sky was an inky sort of black and dotted with twinkling stars. To say that it was breath taking would be an understatement. It was absolutely magnificent.

Up at the front of the Great Hall was one more long table, and sitting at it were several grown witches and wizards. All of them wore robes of different colors and styles. These were the teachers, no doubt. I found myself looking at one teacher sitting near the end of the long table. His hands were folded under his chin with his head resting nonchalantly on top. His hair was shoulder length and rather greasy, his eyes black and narrowed as he stared out into the crowd. He looked rather menacing, but there was something about him that made me think that I did know him, or at least had some type of connection to him.

Beside him sat another man, this one looking quite odd in his strange turban and fidgeting hands. I didn't like him. When I looked at him, a pain shot through my chest, and the sense of something evil overwhelmed me. It was odd, unreal, and absolutely terrifying. The feeling was almost like the one I had gotten when I was in that cave during my nightmare. I wanted to run, but knew that I couldn't. My hand instantly shot for my new necklace, knowing full well that with one tiny flick of my finger I could draw a weapon.

But this was absolutely ridiculous. If I were to draw my bow, what would happen next? My arrows were made of celestial bronze, so if I were to shoot it the arrow would just pass through him without harming him. And even if I did have arrows that were able to harm a mortal, could I do it? I knew the answer to that. Of course not. Would I be any better than a common murderer if I were to do that? It was awful, and against all of my morals. Besides, this feeling was just my imagination, or perhaps came on because of all the stress from the day. Nothing to worry about.

Professor McGonagall was at the front of the hall, carrying a small three legged stool. As she put the stool down she pulled out a pointed hat. The hat was dirty and frayed at the bottom, and if I was seeing correctly, had a large rip near the brim. I wondered who would ever want to wear such a hat, it was filthy and really not that attractive. I guess I deducted from the way the rest of the students were staring at the hat, that it was important. Maybe this had something to do with our sorting. Maybe we would have to pull a rabbit out of it or something. I giggled softly at the thought. Why would a school full of real and amazing magic ever teach such a stereotypical, and somewhat lame, magic trick?

Because everybody else in the hall was staring at the hat, I stared at it too. We stood in complete silence. Then, after a couple seconds, the rip near the brim of the hat opened wide like a mouth and sang out.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hat sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head,_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you out to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means _

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The hall burst into wild applause as the Sorting Hat finished its song, but if anything the song just made me more worried than ever. _There's nothing hidden in your head, the Sorting Hat can't see. _What was that supposed to mean? I don't want the sorting hat to know about everything in my head. It can't know about camp, or my parents, or about my dream. It has to be a secret.

There was a man sitting at the front of the room, his hands folded together in front of his long white beard. His blue eyes twinkled under half moon glasses. But those twinkling blue eyes were staring right at me. I bit my lip nervously. Having somebody stare at you is rather unsettling. Of course, I didn't really know for sure if he was staring at _me. _But something told me, that he knew something.

I heard Ron turn towards Harry. "So we just have to try on the hat?" He whispered. "I'll kill Fred. He was going on about wrestling a troll." Harry managed a weak smile, but still looked rather nervous. Not that I could really blame him, after all, I was feeling the same way. Besides the fact that I didn't want the hat to know all my secrets, I was scared that it wouldn't know where to put me. I wasn't brave, or smart, or all that cunning. Perhaps Hufflepuff, while I had no particularly outstanding traits about me, I could argue that I was pretty loyal.

Just then, Professor McGonagall stepped forward, carrying a rather long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She told us, then started to call names. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A small little girl with a pink face and blonde pigtails stumbled out of the line of first years and walked up to the three legged stool. She put on the hat, which fell down below her eyes, and everybody was silent. A moment later the brim of the hat opened wide and cried out, "Hufflepuff!"

The table that sat the farthest to the right exploded into cheers and clapped wildly as Hannah walked happily over to her new table and housemates. The Fat Friar that I had seen earlier smiled happily, welcoming her to her new house.

"Bones, Susan!" A red headed girl walked nervously up to the stool that Hannah had just vacated and sat down slowly.

"Hufflepuff!" the hate cried again, and Susan scurried over to join Hannah at the Hufflepuff table.

"Boot, Terry!" called Professor McGonagall.

"Ravenclaw!"

The table second to the left clapped and cheered just as loudly as the Hufflepuff table had as Terry Boot joined them.

After Brocklehurst, Mandy became a Ravenclaw too, the first Gryffindor was sorted. Her name was Brown, Lavender, and she was a giggling blonde with curly hair tied back in a low ponytail and held together by a pink bow. She practically skipped to the table on the far left which was cheering louder and more wildly than either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw had. I could hear Fred and George Weasley cat calling, and tried to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. I didn't want to keep being bitter towards them, after all, Hadn't George been somewhat nice to me on the train? I never really gave them a chance and I felt bad for that. But still, they could be really immature.

A whiny looking girl with a scowl set on her face became the first Slytherin. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the whole lot of them looked rather mean. I hoped I wouldn't be stuck in Slytherin.

All this waiting was making me nervous. I hated the anxiety that came with standing around and waiting for something to happen. It's not like I really had all that long left to wait, after Finch Fletchley, Justin was sorted into Hufflepuff, it was Hermione Granger's turn. Hermione practically ran all the way to the front of the Great Hall. She sat on the stool and eagerly jammed the hat onto her head. I waited patiently. She was, after all, one of the few people I knew at this school. I couldn't deny that I was curious as to where she would be sorted. Finally the Sorting Hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!" The table that Lavender Brown had skipped happily over too erupted into wild cheers.

"Greyman, Antigone." Di immortales. That was my name. I ignored the fact that both Ron and Harry turned toward me simultaneously and whispered, "Antigone?". I could tell they thought it was an odd name, and I agreed, but I was too busy worrying about my upcoming sorting to really care that much.

I walked up towards the Sorting Hat as if I was walking towards my death. I tried to tell myself not to be so dramatic, but I was so nervous I couldn't think straight. My legs felt like lead as I climbed the four short steps that led to the Sorting Hat, and sat down on the three legged stool slowly and nervously. I hardly even noticed that the hat was being placed on my head until it spoke to me.

"Well, aren't you rather odd? I can't say I've seen someone like you in a long while." It said. I looked to both sides instinctively, before scolding myself for being so ridiculous. The hat was speaking in my head of course. Nobody else could hear what it was saying. But what had it meant about seeing somebody like me before. Surly there couldn't be another half blood somewhere in the castle?

"Yes, there have been plenty of demigods that I have sorted." when the sorting hat said this I was utterly dumbfounded, before I remembered that it could read my mind.

"Now let's see here..." It said quietly. "Yes, you have a good mind. Well suited for Ravenclaw, and rather cunning too, but no your loyalty to your friends outshines all of that. I'd say Hufflepuff, but I don't think that's quite right. You are rather brave, am I right? No... I think you should be in... GRYFFINDOR!"

I was instantly flooded with relief. Gryffindor wasn't so bad. In fact, it wasn't bad at all. I hopped off the chair happily and felt like skipping, just as Lavender Brown had. The Gryffindor table was cheering just as loud as ever as I nearly ran over there to take my place with my fellow Gryffindors. After the excitement of finally be sorted wore down, a new worry consumed me. What if Harry and Ron were sorted into different houses. Sure, I had just met them recently, but they were the closest thing that I had to friends here, and I didn't want to lose that.

After the boy named Neville Longbottom head been sorted into Gryffindor, he got so excited that he ran straight off the stool towards the Gryffindor table with the hat still on his head. The entire student body was laughing about this as he went back up to the front to hand the hat back to Professor McGonagall, blushing like mad. I instantly felt bad for him. I mean, how horrifying would it be to be laughed at in front of everybody on your first day at a new school. I cast a weary glance at Fred and George, knowing full well that they were laughing their arses off.

Then Malfoy, Draco was called, and a little boy with platinum blonde hair and piercing gray eyes strutted up to take his turn to be sorted. I took an instant disliking to him. I knew nothing about him, but the way he carried himself, and the mean looking smirk on his face reminded me of someone who was truly mean. My suspicions about him was confirmed when Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin just as the Sorting hat touched his head.

Finally, it was Harry's turn. As soon as his name was called, the entire school started whispering to each other. "The Boy Who Lived?" "I wonder if he has the scar..." "...You know Who." "_The_ Harry Potter." "Potter, did she say, as in Harry Potter?" I could see what Harry meant about his scar and his fame being rather annoying. If it was me, I wouldn't want to be known everywhere I go for something as horrible as that.

Harry was sitting on that stool for what seemed like forever. It was an agonizing couple of minutes, but probably even more so for Harry, as he was the one being sorted. I was tapping my fingers to the beat of "I am my own Great Great Great Great Grandpa." impatiently. How long could this possibly take? After a long while, the Sorting Hat opened his brim and cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Our table exploded into the biggest cheer I had ever heard. It was deafening how loud it was, I almost wanted to cover my ears but I couldn't because I was clapping too hard. He was in my house! I wouldn't be alone! I smiled as I scooted over to allow him room to sit next to me.

I heard Fred and George Weasley doing a little happy dance as they sand "We got Potter! We got Potter! We got Potter!" The ghost with the ruffle around his neck glided down from the opposite end of the table to give him a warm welcome to Gryffindor.

"Good to see you in Gryffindor Harry." I told him smiling widely. This night was turning out to be better than I could have ever hoped for. I was not alone, because I had Harry in my house.

"Good to be here, Annie." He told me. "Do you reckon Ron will be in Gryffindor too?"

The Weasley twins took this opportunity to move down next to me. "He better be." Fred, or maybe it was George, said. "Otherwise we just might have to-"

"Kick his arse." the other one finished.

"Umm..how nice?" I offered.

"Oh come on Antigone dearest. You can't expect us, Ron's favorite brothers in the whole wide world, to be happy if Ron were sorted into, let's say Slytherin." George said. I could tell it was George now, although I had no idea how.

"A disgrace to the family that would."

I might have been imagining it, but I could have sworn that Ron looked over to our table and looked almost sick with worry.

"Don't call me Antigone please." I told them, although the warning was a little late.

"Why not Antigone?" Fred asked.

"Because it's a disgusting name." I snapped, but then corrected myself. "Sorry."

"Oh, it's no big deal Annie. We were just joking. But I can see we're not welcome here."

"George!" Fred said annoyed. "Stop being such a wuss. Got a little crush on a first year do we?"

George blushed like mad. "Of course not! She's eleven! I was just being nice, excuse me for being polite."

I was blushing, but not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. I started cursing them out in every Greek curse word that I could think of.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Oh, um nothing. Are you two going to leave or not?" Fred got up laughing to himself and George joined in with him, though he looked a little hurt at my comment.

"Why don't you like them?" Harry asked, once Fred and George were completely out of ear shot.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't like the way that they go out of their way to make me feel embarrassed. Besides, they're really immature."

"They're only thirteen."

"And we're only eleven."

Harry looked away, obviously not wanting to upset me further. The line of first years waiting to be sorted was getting dangerously low, and there were only a couple people left. It was almost Ron's turn to be sorted. I let my mind wander and jumped nearly off the bench when I heard "Weasley, Ron" be called. Just one more person being sorted into our house would make this night absoluty perfect.

Ron looked like he was about to be sick as he made his way up to the three legged stool and the hat was placed over his head. The hat had barely touched his head before it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry and I clapped loudly as the color returned to Ron's face and he raced over to join us.

"Congratulations Ron!" I said happily.

"Yeah, Great to see you here to join us."

Fred and George leaned over the people separating us, who shot them really annoyed looks, to shout their welcomes to their brother. I wondered why they didn't just come over and say it, but then I realized that they probably didn't want to aggravate me further.

As soon as Zabini, Blaise was sorted into Slytherin, everybody had been sorted into their houses, and the old wizard with the twinkling blue eyes and long white beard came up to make a speech I guessed. He was beaming at all of us students with his arms opened wide as if there was nothing that could have pleased him more than to have all of us here with him at Hogwarts.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" He said. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, for those of you who don't know. Before we begin our start of term feast, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!" Albus Dumbledore sat back down at his table as the students clapped and cheered. I thought he was rather odd and didn't know whether to laugh or not.

I heard Harry turn to Percy Weasley and ask uncertainly, "Is he a bit- mad?" I hadn't even noticed that Percy Weasley was here, probably because he was being pretty quiet tonight.

"Mad?" Percy said airily. "Why, he's a genius! Best Wizard in the world. But yes, I suppose you could say that he is a bit mad. Potatoes?"

I glanced down at the once empty dishes that were on the table and let out a small gasp. All of the dishes were now filled to the brim with mountains of delicious looking food. It was impressive, but would have been exceptionally more so if I hadn't practically grown up with the dishes at camp doing the very same thing. But at Hogwarts, there was a much wider variety. Because the wood nymphs prepared all the food, we were limited to healthy barbeque and pizza. But here there was roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and for some strange reason that was completely beyond my comprehension, peppermint humbugs.

I was never really much of a big eater, but all this delicious looking food in one place made my stomach growl hungrily and pile loads of food onto my plate. I put a bit of everything that was within my reach on my plate and ate happily. Of course it was all as delicious as it looked.

"That does look good." Said the ghost with the ruffled color sadly as he watched Harry cut up his steak.

"Can't you eat?" I asked him wearily.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," he said. "I don't need to of course, because I'm dead, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself. My name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy- Porpington, at your service. I am the ghost of Gryffindor tower." I held out my hand out of habit of being polite, which of course made him laugh deeply. "Dear girl, don't you know that I could never be able to shake your hand. I'm a ghost!" I blushed deeply, but laughed at myself anyway.

Suddenly, Ron cut in. "I know who you are! My brothers told me all about you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

Hermione looked up at Ron. "Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely annoyed, as if the conversation had taken a huge turn in the opposite direction than he wanted it to.

"Like this," he snapped irritably. He grabbed a hold of his left ear and pulled, causing his whole entire head to swing off his neck and fall onto his shoulder as if it were on a hinge. The wound looked like somebody had tried to behead him, but hadn't done a very clean job of it. Nearly Headless Nick looked pleased at the shocked look on all of our faces and plopped his head right back onto his shoulders. "So, new Gryffindors, I hope you're going to help us win the house cup this year. Gryffindor have never gone so long without winning before. It is rather embarrassing. Slytherin have won every year for the past six years. The Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, has become the most unbearable person to be around."

I looked instinctively over to the table at the far side of the Great Hall. That was the Slytherin table I supposed. I could see another ghost sitting between two students. One of them, the small blonde boy with the horrible gelled back hair looked particularly uncomfortable about this fact. The ghost was terrible to look at, with his face, clothes, and body bloodied, and his facial expressions set in a scowl. How lucky I had been not to be sorted into Slytherin.

"That's him, over there?" I asked Nearly Headless Nick as I pointed to the ghost at the Slytherin table.

"Yes, it is. Not the most agreeable ghost in this castle. But he's nothing compared to Peeves." He told me.

"Who's Peeves?" Ron asked suddenly, his mouth full of at least thirty thousand forkfuls of food.

"Who's Peeves?" Fred asked, who had taken it upon himself to come up to us at that exact moment, dragging his twin behind him. "Why, ickle Ronnikins, Peeves is only the most bloody brilliant poltergeist in the school. You should see the things he can get away with!"

"More like the most annoying. Honestly Fred, you and George are probably the only two people in this school who are able to tolerate Peeves." Percy said as he joined in the conversation.

"I just wish that we would have thought of some of the pranks Peeves has pulled before he did. Bloody brilliant they were." George said. Once again I was overcome with the feeling that these two were way too much like Connor and Travis than I would have liked.

"I do say boys, I must agree with Percy here. Us ghosts have been trying to get rid of the poltergeist for years!" Nearly Headless Nick cut in.

"How many ghosts are there at this school anyway?" Harry asked, glancing around the Great Hall.

"According to Hogwarts, a History, there are at least a couple hundred ghosts here at Hogwarts. Fascinating isn't it?" Hermione cut in.

"Uhh... yeah. You like to read a lot don't you Hermione?" I asked, trying to stop Ron from saying something mean as I knew he was going to do from the minute he opened his mouth.

"Oh yes! I've heard the library here is huge! Isn't that right Percy?" She asked turning to him.

"Why yes, it is. I spend a lot of my time here studying in that library. I dare say that it has helped me pass quite a few of my classes."

"Oh! I just can't wait until classes start; I hope we don't have to wait a while. I mean, there's so much to learn! I am particularly interested in transfiguration, but I've heard that it is quite challenging," Hermione said quickly.

"Well, you will most likely be starting with rather simple spells, like turning a match into a needle. You know, stuff like that."

"That sounds like so much fun, doesn't it?"

I managed a small nod in her direction to show that I understood her before letting my mind wander. What would Connor and Travis do right now if they were here with me? Well for one thing, they'd probably love the Weasley twins. They'd probably be sitting around discussing some type of prank to play on the Slytherins, or bragging about their most daring escapades. They would be in Gryffindor with me, and they'd marvel at how huge the castle was. They would love all the ghosts, and be completly fascinated with it all. They would tease Hermione mercilessly about her bookwormish qualities, very similar to that of the Athena campers.

But Connor and Travis weren't here. I was in a place where my entire past self was completely gone. I would have to make new friends and learn new things. Nobody here would ever understand the things I go through on a regular basis, like fighting hideous monsters. At least I had two new friends, possibly three. I didn't really know what to call Hermione just yet.

Just then all of the plates were completely emptied of any type of food, much to the dismay of Ron. But they were soon replaced with the most delectably deserts I had ever seen. Of course, my stomach was extended from the amount of food I had just eaten and I knew that if I ate any more I was likely to pop, but it just looked so delicious! I reached over to grab a slice of chocolate cake eagerly.

"A little hungry are we?" George asked, eyeing my rather large slice of cake.

"So what if I am? I hardly ever get to eat this much in one sitting!" I joked, suddenly in a much better mood, probably do to the thought of being able to eat desert.

"No kidding." He joked back. "I'd try the treacle tart. I find that most satisfying."

"Ooo, big words we're using aren't we?"

He gave me a sharp look, but I could tell he wasn't really angry because a small smile was threatening to spread across his face. "Well aren't you a bit feisty." He teased. "Merlin's beard Ron! Save some for the rest of us!" Ron looked down sheepishly at his plate that was practically overflowing with exceptionally large portions of everything in his reach.

"Sorry." He said, but since his face was stuffed full of a half chewed pie it sounded more like, "Swory"

Hermione rolled her eyes, very annoyed at Ron. "Don't you have any manners?"

The very tips of Ron's ears started to turn pink and he mumbled a soft apology through his still stuffed mouth. This caused Fred and George to erupt into fits of laughter as they walked back over to their waiting friends. Percy gave all three of them disapproving looks before turning back to his conversation with a studious looking girl who seemed to be about fifteen.

I was starting to feel warm and tired, probably the direct result of all the food. My mind started to think solely of the warm bed that must exist within the Gryffindor dormitories.

All at once, the tables were cleared of all the dishes and Albus Dumbledore stepped up once again. The entire hall fell silent.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older pupils would find it in their best interest to remember that as well." Dumbledore paused here to look directly at the Gryffindor table and towards the Weasley twins, who exchanged identical mischievous smiles.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, our caretaker at Hogwarts, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact their captain or Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

I noticed that Harry laughed softly, although he was only one of about three students who did. I was slightly nervous after hearing this piece of news. "He's not serious is he?" I asked Percy quietly.

"Most likely." He muttered back, looking nervously at Professor Dumbledore. "It's odd because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere- the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects at least." A forest full of dangerous beasts? This sounded a little too familiar to me and I reached up to grab my sun necklace, and listened quietly as Dumbledore continued.

"And now, before we head off to bed, let us sing the school song!" He cried cheerfully, all past tension forgotten. He waved his wand swiftly and long golden strands of light curled above us all and formed the lyrics to a song. "Everybody pick their favorite tune and off we go!"

The entire school belted the song out in a mass chaotic melody.

_Hogwarts. Hogwarts. Hoggy warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please._

_Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling _

_With some interesting stuff_

_For know they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest_

_And learn until your brains all rot._

Most of the first years had chosen to sing the song quietly and quickly, as to avoid being the last one to sing. I on the other hand, chose to sing a quick little march, my voice coming out much louder than those beside me. Though I wasn't the best singer in the world, I would be an embarrassment to my dad if I hadn't had at least a little bit of musical talent. And that's what I had, just the bare minimum of musical talent that is acceptable for a child of Apollo.

The rest of the school finished their version of the song all at different times. Fred and George were the last people left singing, each choosing to sing a low, horribly off tune, funeral march. I giggled quietly despite myself as Dumbledore conducted their last lines and clapped loudly when they had finished.

"Ah, music." He said as he wiped his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

"First years, follow me please." Percy said as he got up from the table. All the Gryffindor first years got up quickly to follow Percy through the chattering crowd of the large Hogwarts student body. He led us out of the Great Hall and up a flight of marble stairs. We followed him through a long corridor full of portraits of witches and wizards all pointing and whispering as we passed. We went through many doorways hidden behind tapestries and up several more flights of stairs until we got to a portrait of a very large lady in a hideous pink silk dress.

"Password?" She asked boredly.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said calmly and the portrait swung open to reveal a round hole in the wall. We all scrambled through the whole and found ourselves in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Girls dormitories are up the stairs and to the left, boys the same but to the right." Percy told us then turned around and left us huddled at the portrait hole as more and more students entered. Harry, Ron, and I made our way over to a vacant maroon couch in front of the fireplace. "Goodnight Hermione." I called to her as she went up the stairs to the dormitories.

"Goodnight Annie." She called back smiling.

"That food was amazing." Ron said with an entirely straight face. Harry and I both erupted into fits of silent laughter.

"Yes Ron, the food was very good." Harry said through his laughter.

"I wonder what time it is." I said.

"It has to be about midnight." Ron told me, "That feast lasted forever! But I'm not complaining, it was delicious."

I laughed, " I could tell you enjoyed it, Ron."

Harry and Ron laughed along with me. "Yeah," Harry said. "You hardly left any for the rest of us." The tips of Ron's ears started to turn red, making me giggle even more.

"Can you believe classes start tomorrow? We should have a day of rest or something."

"I'm actually excited for classes. They sound interesting." I said.

"Ugh, Annie, you sound like that Hermione girl." Ron joked.

"Well, I just read all about the classes in Hogwarts, a History."

Ron and Harry laughed at my little joke, but I instantly felt bad. I was no better than the meanest bully at camp, Clarisse, if I decided to make fun of everybody I came in contact with. Besides, hadn't I decided that Hermione was one of my friends? Why would I make fun of her like that?

I was still beating myself up for my obvious disloyalty to one of my "friends" when I noticed the last two people that I wanted to see at the moment walk into the common room, conversing in low voices. This action immediately put me on edge because Connor and Travis Stoll did this very thing every time they were about to pull a prank. And seeing how close these two sets of brothers were in personality, I could conclude that Fred and George Weasley were up to the same kind of thing. The thing that made me more nervous than ever though was the fact that I didn't know who the object of their prank would be. With Connor and Travis I never had to worry about being pranked, we were too close of friends to play a joke like that on each other. It kind of went against our set of unwritten rules.

I wasn't paying attention anymore to what Harry and Ron were saying to each other because I kept watching Fred and George Weasley out of the corner of my eye, waiting for them to do something. And that's when it happened.

A quiet sort of explosion echoed across the walls of the common room, causing me to jump slightly. But that wasn't the worst of it, because that quiet explosion had caused the room to go completely dark. And this wasn't your normal sort of dark either; this was the type of dark that seemed inescapable. It was like not a shred of light would be able to find its way into the room. To say that it was pitch dark would be a bit of an understatement, because there was no light at all. Not the glow of the fireplace, not the light of the moon streaming through the window, not even though glow of a cat's eyes peering out from behind a piece of furniture.

Somebody was screaming, but I didn't know who it was. I was too busy focusing on my own terror. As the child of the sun god, I found it nearly unbearable to be surrounded in darkness. The sun was a symbol of light, and light comforted me. The opposite of light was darkness, and that terrified me. I could feel myself clinging to something tightly, something soft and warm. I didn't know what it was, but I prayed that it wasn't an actual person.

I later learned the little black spell had only lasted seconds, though to me it felt like hours. When the light came back I could tell that I was the one who had been screaming, and tears were streaming down my face. But that was nowhere near as bad as the person I was clinging to desperately. George Weasley was laughing loudly as I held tightly to his waist, and as soon as his brother, Fred, noticed he laughed louder and harder than I thought possible.

I quickly unwrapped my arms from around his waist as my face started to grow red. "Somebody a little scared of the dark?" He asked, causing the entire common room to explode in cruel laughter.

I brushed the tears out of my eyes and sneered at him. "I cannot believe you!" I screamed, my face no longer red from embarrassment, but from anger. "What in the name of Hades is wrong with you? You foul, loathsome..." I paused, trying to think of something else terrible to call him.

"Running out of adjectives are we?" Fred asked joining his brother.

I pulled out my wand, knowing full well that I knew not one spell or hex that would help me in this situation. I also knew that if I pulled out my bow and arrow that I would blow my cover. I hoped that just holding my wand in a threatening way would cause them to shut up, but no such luck.

"Oh George, aren't you so scared? A first year is going to hex us!" George started to laugh quietly.

I was growing angrier and angrier by the second, I started to see red, so I did the only reasonable thing. I punched them. Hard. In the face.

"Oi! What was that for!" George asked, rubbing his now crooked looking nose.

"That was for making me look like an idiot!"

"You did that yourself mate." Fred said.

That's when I turned around and ran straight towards the stairs that would lead to the girl's dormitory. And that is when I vowed that I would always hate the Weasley twins.

**Again, I'm really sorry for making the Weasley twins seem like total...er buttfaces. I love both of them, but Annie doesn't. And when she's in her fourth year, you'll understand why. But that's all I'm saying about that until we get there.**


	7. Chapter 6:Snape, the Potions Master

**Okay, I lied. I said I would have the next couple of chapters up within the week, and I didn't. Sorry, I was just lazy. I actually like this chapter, although the next chapter is my favorite. So I hope you enjoy, and review! And once again, I apologize for the way I portray Fred and George. I really do love them, and I just feel really guilty about the way they seem like total buttfaces in my story...**

Chapter 6: Snape, the potions master.

I did not want to get out of bed. It was way too early. But Hermione had been up at the crack of dawn, calling out loudly how we all needed to get dressed right this minute if we wanted to have time to eat our breakfast and go to class. It was barely passed six o'clock in the morning! Much too early in my opinion.

"C'mon Annie. You don't want to be late for your first day of classes, do you?" I groaned in frustration and rolled over as I hid my face in my pillow. "Annie, if you don't get up right now I'm...I'm... well I don't know what I'll do, but you're not going to like it."

"Fine. There's no use of going back to sleep now anyway, I'll never be able to fall asleep." I complained.

Hermione smiled. "That's the spirit!"

She was much to chipper for this early in the morning, just like my aunt Charlotte. I crawled slowly out of bed and went over to my trunk to pull out my Hogwarts uniform. Welcome to the first day of homework, no sleep, and more than likely detentions. Yup, it was time for school again.

After about thirty minutes of dragging myself around the dormitory trying to get ready, I was ready to descend the stairs and face the rest of the day. I hoped with all my heart that I wouldn't have to face those good for nothing Weasley twins. But no such luck. Both of them were huddled in a corner talking to a small group of friends. Please don't notice me...

"Hey Annie!" I turned around quickly, half expecting it to be one of them, but it was just Ron and Harry.

"Oh, hey. Sleep well?" I asked with a yawn.

Harry smiled widely. "Yes, those are the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on! What about you?"

"Well, I would have slept better if it hadn't been for Hermione waking us all up at the crack of dawn."

Harry and Ron laughed. "Sorry, but we just got up a whole, what was it? About ten minutes ago?" Ron said teasingly.

"I hate you both." I joked.

"Well, let's go to breakfast. I'm starving." Harry said.

"Me too. Let's go." And with that said, we all three walked out of the portrait hole and into the corridor. I tried to remember the way to the Great Hall. It was through some hanging tapestry, down a long corridor, and up a couple of steps. It was a miracle in itself that we made it there with just enough time to actually enjoy the meal.

Food at Hogwarts was always good, I concluded. Not that I had really doubt of that before. The feast last night was amazing! And this breakfast did not disappoint one bit. There was everything that I could have hoped for in a breakfast, bacon, eggs served sunny side up, toast, etc. The only complaint I had was, while they had all of the fancy schmancy breakfast foods, Hogwarts lacked the traditional favorites. What may I ask is wrong with Cap'n Crunch? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

After a very entertaining breakfast, during which Ron had succeeded in successfully making me spew chocolate milk out of my nose and Harry made me laugh until my sides hurt, Hermione announced to everybody that was within earshot that if we didn't hurry up, we'd e late to our classes. Not that anybody really cared all that much, but as it was the first day, I decided that I didn't really want to get on the bad side of the teachers. So Ron and I waited for Harry to finish his breakfast, as he was a very, very slow eater.

We were barely out of the Great Hall when we realized we had a problem. It was our first day in a brand new place and none of us knew where we were going. "Umm… guys. I don't know where we're supposed to go." Harry said sheepishly.

Ron looked around slowly, like he was confused. "I don't know either, Annie?"

They both looked at me expectantly, but I had to disappoint. It was my first day too, and I was just as lost as they were. "I really have absolutely no idea where to go."

"Drat." Ron muttered. Then he looked up suddenly."Maybe we should ask Fred and George. I think I see them over there!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. Ron quickly went off to talk to his brothers with Harry following soon after. I followed behind them a little more reluctantly. After last night, I had absolutely no desire to converse with the Weasley twins.

As soon as I had caught up with Ron and Harry, Ron had started his plea for help. "Umm… could either of you show us where Transfiguration is?" He asked.

"Aw," Fred started. "Does ickle Ronnikins need help finding his classes?" He teased, as he ruffled his little brother's fiery red hair.

"Bugger off." Ron said as he pushed his brother's hand off his head. "I just want you to tell us how to get to class."

George exchanged a weird sort of look with Fred before turning back to us. "No, we'll take you to your class. Tally ho, little bro!" He called as he and Fred turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

"I guess we should follow them?" I asked quietly.

"I guess so." Ron said. And this is why I blame Ron entirely for what happened next.

We followed Fred and George for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably only a couple of minutes. They led us through several long corridors, up numerous flights of stairs that seemed to change directions every couple of minutes, and behind a couple of moving walls. I started to think we would never reach our destination, when Fred and George led us down a long spiral staircase and called over their shoulders, "Almost there!" at exactly the same time.

When we got to the bottom of the steps they turned around. "Your class is just down that hallway-"

"To the right"

"And through the wood door." George finished.

"Umm, okay. Thanks." Ron muttered and followed their directions to the hallway. The hallway was eerily cold and slightly dark, which sent shivers down my spine. I did not like this part of the castle one bit. The corridor was slightly longer than I had originally thought, and it seemed like another minute before we had reached the door that the twins had told us about.

"I think we're late." I muttered to Harry, who swallowed hard and nodded his head.

"I just don't want to be scolded in front of the entire class. I would rather not be humiliated on my first day like that."

"Been there, done that, not going back." I muttered to him as Ron opened the door.

"-I can teach you how to bottle glory- And what are you three doing here?" Asked the greasy haired sallow skinned teacher that I had seen last night. "If I am not mistaken, the first year Gryffindors our meant to be in Transfiguration right now." He sneered.

All three of us blushed scarlet. "I'm sorry sir, but isn't this Transfiguration?" I asked as politely as I could.

The class, a mean looking bunch in green and silver ties, snickered in response. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek Miss-"

"Greymann, sir." I muttered. The teacher raised his eyebrows at me but made no comment. "Well then, Miss…Greymann. I expect you to serve a detention for this little intrusion. You two as well. Now go before you take away more of our valuable class time."

I was furious. I cannot believe that Fred and George would do that to us, well actually I could believe that they would do that to me, but to their own little brother. Now Ron, Harry, and I all had to serve detentions because of their little prank. Ron's face was entirely red. "I should've known better than to trust Fred and George." He muttered darkly.

"I know how you feel." I told him. Harry looked down quietly, not wanting to say anything. "So do you say we try to figure out where transfiguration is?"

Ron nodded and we ascended the stairs out of the dungeon. After a couple of minutes of wandering around aimlessly, we ran into an older student who kindly directed us to the real Transfiguration classroom. After warm thanks and running through the castle, we finally made our way into the class.

Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen. All of the rest of the class was sitting quietly in their seats, and they all turned around as we walked in, no doubt about twenty minutes late. Ron breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, just imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if she had been here."

That's when all hell broke loose. Okay, maybe I'm over exaggerating things. Technically what happened wasn't so bad. But it did however scare the living daylights out of me. Because just then the tabby cat, one that I hadn't even noticed up until this point thank you very much, jumped off of the teacher's desk and changed mid- stride into a brown haired witch in emerald green robes, wearing a very stern face mind you. Ron let out a feeble squeak as she strode across the room and stared straight into his eyes.

"Would you like to make an excuse as to why you are late Mr. Weasley?" She asked, her lips as thin as a piece of paper.

"We, uh, we got lost?" he asked, unsure if his answer would be enough to satisfy this very strict teacher.

"You got lost." She stated, a small smile making the corners of her lips turn up slightly. "Well perhaps as our first lesson I shall transfigure you three into a map to ensure that this doesn't happen again. Now take your seats."

…

"I can not believe we got off that easy!" I exclaimed to Harry and Ron as we were leaving the Transfiguration classroom.

"I know." Ron started. "Fred and George told me that she was really strict. Fair, but strict."

I rolled my eyes. "Please do not mention their names in my presence ever again!" I said dramatically, earning a small laugh from both Ron and Harry.

Just then Hermione strode up from behind us. "Where were you guys? You're lucky Professor McGonagall let you off like that. If I were the teacher…"

Ron sighed in annoyance. "Well we can't all be as perfect as you, now can we?" I stomped on his foot angrily to get him to shut up before turning to Hermione.

"We were given the wrong directions to the classroom by a certain pair of obnoxious twins."

Hermione giggle. "Well let me take you to Potions, we have that next."

Harry shook his head. "Actually Hermione, I don't think we need any help finding that particular classroom."

Professor Snape strode into the classroom with a look that was most unpleasant upon his face. He stopped at the desk that I was sharing with Hermione and gave me an annoyed sideways glance before continuing on to the front of the room.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is potion making." He began, his voice low, barely louder than a whisper, and droning. But surprisingly, the entire class seemed to hang on to his every word, taking in every thought. "As there is little foolish wand- waving here, many of you will hardly believe that this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big of a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." He stopped his speech to stare at the group of Gryffindor First Years that were all on one side of the room.

"Why is he staring at us?" I whispered to Ron who was sitting at the table right across from me.

"Snape hates Gryffindors. He favors the Slytherins - at least that's what my brothers told me."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for talking out of turn Miss Greymann and Mr. Weasley. Would you like me to add another detention?"

I managed a small "No sir.", before Snape turned his sights on Harry. "Potter" He yelled suddenly, making half the room jump out of their seats. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood." Wait…what? None of this made any sense. I silently thanked everybody I could think of that it wasn't me that had to embarrass myself in front of everybody, but instantly felt bad. I was a terrible friend if I would wish that kind of humiliation on someone.

Harry was blushing scarlet when he said, "I don't know sir."

Snape smiled evilly at him. "Tut tut - fame clearly isn't everything is it? Hermione's hand was waving around furiously, as if she knew the answer and jus _had_ to answer it. Snape ignored her. "Let's try again, shall we? Potter, where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar." Hermione's hand was stretch so high in the air that I feared it would be ripped out of the socket from the strain. I noticed that a couple of the Slytherins were rocking back and forth with laughter, which they did not give any effort at all to hide. Snape ignored all of them, as he looked inquiringly at Harry who shook his head.

"I don't know sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before you got here, eh Potter?" I admired the way Harry never looked away from Snape's cold eyes. I thought it was really unfair the way Snape was treating Harry. How were any of us, excluding Hermione that is, supposed to remember every minute detail from_ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi._

Still, Snape ignored Hermione's hand as it waved frantically through the air.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" As soon as the words had left Snape's mouth, Hermione's hand had shot so far into the air that she was forced to stand up and jump up and down eagerly.

"I don't know." Harry said as last. "But I think Hermione does." This remark caused Snape's frown to deepen, which made me giggle silently into my hand.

"Sit down." He told Hermione angrily. "For your information Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is taken from the belly of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

The entire class scrambled to take out their quills and ink to copy down what Snape had just said on a piece of parchment. Snape was still not pleased with Harry so he just had to add, "And ten points will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

The potions lesson did not improve at all in the course of the next hour or so that followed. After lecturing the class for a few more minutes, Snape sent us to prepare a "simple" potion that would cure boils. While I successfully made my cauldron catch on fire, Ron was sprayed with the contents of his potions after adding too much lacewing flies. This caused huge oozing boils to appear all over his face. Snape strode over to him, announced to the entire class how incompetent he was and cleared his face of boils with a flick of his wand.

But poor Neville Longbottom had it the worst. His potion had melted through the cauldron and seeped onto the floor, causing his skin to flare up in huge, ugly welts. Within a matter of minutes the entire class was standing on their stools in order to escape the same fate. Snape sighed and walked over to clean up the mess. "Idiot boy." Neville whimpered, fearing that Snape would punish him just as severely as we knew he was capable of doing. "You! Potter! Why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if her got it wrong, did you? That's another point that you've lost Gryffindor house. Now all of you leave before Potter makes it worse for the rest of you."

I hardly had time to comprehend how unfair all of it was before I had found my place in between Harry and Ron. Harry looked furious, but Ron calmed him down. "Don't push it." He said. "Snape can turn right nasty if he wanted."

"And that wasn't nasty?" I asked furiously.

"No, it was. But it could've been so much worse."

Harry's face started to turn back closer to its normal color the farther away we got from the potion's room. "I forgot to tell you guys that I got a letter from Hagrid. Either of you interested in joining me to visit him?"

Ron and I nodded eagerly and followed Harry.

Hagrid's hut was on the very edge of the school's property, right next to the Forbidden Forest. It was small, but homey looking, with a small vegetable patch out front. When Harry knocked on the door, he was greeted by a large black dog. I immediately stepped back.

Ron looked at me curiously. "What? Are you afraid of dogs or something?" He asked.

I struggled to take a calming breath. "N-no. It's just that, I don't like that kind of dog. Umm… bad experiences." Bad experiences was a bit of an understatement. When I was about nine, I had had a near death experience a hellhound which looked eerily like the big mastiff in front of me (but much, much larger).

What had happened was I had strayed out of the safety of the Camp's boundaries in order to join Connor and Travis in their trip to the convenience store, though I had money to pay for the things I bought, mind you. Almost as soon as I had stepped out of the boundaries I was attacked. A hellhound had appeared right out of the shadows and pounced on me. Had the monster been full grown I most certainly would have died, but the beast was only a puppy. Either way, the dog put its massive paws on my chest and started to tear away at my shoulder, getting closer and closer to the fatal neck. I tried to fight it off, but it was no use, the dog was too strong. Michael Yew had luckily seen the commotion on his way to the head counselor's meeting at the Big House and came to investigate. If he hadn't killed the dog with his arrow I would have died. I still had a scar on my left shoulder in the exact shape of giant teeth marks.

I rubbed my shoulder subconsciously and entered the house behind Ron and Harry, being careful to stay as far away from the dog as possible. The giant man that had taken us to the school by boat was there to greet us with a pot of tea and black looking rock cakes.

"Make yer selves at home." He told us.

"This is Ron." Harry told Hagrid as he poured out his tea.

"Another Weasley, eh?" Asked Hagrid, taking in Ron's read hair and freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." Then Hagrid looked straight at me. "And who is this?"

I tried to smile while still casting weary glances towards the dog as he devoured a piece of steak from off of Hagrid's counter. "I'm Annie Greymann."

"Nice ter meet ya Annie. Aw, don't worry 'bout Fang. He's perfectly harmless, and a right coward if you ask me."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

Hagrid told us all about his favorite stories about Hogwarts. My particular favorite being the one during which Hagrid called Filch, the mean caretaker, an "Old git".

"An' as fer the cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her- Filch puts her up to it, I s'pose."

Then it was Harry's turn to tell Hagrid all about his potions lesson and how unfair Snape had been. I had to cut in and say that I was about to step in and punch the old sot, which made Ron snort with laughter. Harry said that he seemed to hate all of the students, but especially himself.

"Rubbish!" Hagrid said as soon as Harry shared this bit of information. "Why should he?" But Hagrid didn't quite meet Harry's eyes when he said this.

Once the conversation had turned to Ron's other brother Charlie, I allowed my eyes to wander around the room. There were a couple hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling in the corner, a massive copper pot was boiling water over the fire, and a large bed was pushed up against the far wall and was covered in a patchwork quilt. But what really caught my attention was the _Daily Prophet_ newspaper that was sitting on the table.

**Gringotts Break-In Latest**

_Invesitgations continue into the break-in at Gringotts_

_on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards_

_or witched unknown._

_Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been _

_taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._

"_But we're not telling you what was in there, so Kepp your noses out if you _

_know what's good for you." Said a Gringotts spokesgoblin, this afternoon. _

"Hagrid, what's this?" I asked, as I showed him the newspapers.

Harry studied the story closer. "That happened on my birthday! Do you reckon we were there when it happened?" There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely did not meet Harry's eyes when he asked this question.

After we had forced down our rock cakes we said goodbye to Hagrid and continued our long journey back up to the castle. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Hagrid knew something but he wasn't going to tell us.


	8. Chapter 7: To Mend a Broken Wrist

**Since the last chapter was pretty short, I decided to upload this chapter with it. This chapter has to be my favorite because you start to see the little bit of chemistry between Annie and George (just a little bit, she's only 11), and you get to learn what her "half-blood powers" are, which happen to be a major part of the plot later on in the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy (I say that every chapter, don't I?) and REVIEW!**

Chapter 6: To Mend a Broken Wrist

The night air was cool, but still held onto the last remaining warmth of summer. I could hear the monsters that I knew, through many rumors and such, lived in the Forbidden Forrest. I didn't really know why I had to go in there, after all, I was breaking about thirty different school rules right at this very moment. But I had to talk to them. I just hoped I wouldn't get caught, I didn't need any more detentions than I already had, thank you very much. But would I be a good Gryffindor if I let that stop me?

I was alone in the forest, or I hoped I was. I hadn't brought Ron or Harry with me because what I was about to do had to remain a secret. I jumped at every whistle of the wind, cursed at every sound of a twig snapping, and held my breath every time I heard the sound of leaves rustling. I would be an idiot to think that I was the only living thing in the Forbidden Forrest; I knew that there were other animals in here. And I really don't know why I was so scared of it, the forest at camp was just as dangerous, perhaps it was because of all the hype surrounding this place.

No matter, the coins in the pocket of my school robes jingled ominously with every step that I took. I didn't know how I would make a rainbow in order to contact Connor and Travis, but I suppose I would figure that out when I got that far.

I was already very far into the forest. I knew this because I had been walking for what must have been about thirty minutes. I really had no idea how I would ever find my way back. In my paranoia I had swerved this way and that, through thick clusters of trees and under bushes. That is until I reached the perfect spot to do what I had set out to do.

It was a small little clearing, hidden heavily behind a thick line of pine trees. In the center was a little pond, the wind blowing up mist into the air. I smiled upon seeing that if looked at just right, the mist would make a rainbow. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a large golden coin, much larger than the coins used in the wizard world. This coin had a picture of a mighty castle carved into one side, and a man with a Greek toga and stern look on the other. As I moved the coin around in my hand, I could see tiny lightning bolts reflected across the man's eyes. I tossed the coin into the rainbow where it disappeared with a satisfying _ching!_

"O goddess, accept my offering. Connor Stoll, Camp Half Blood. Long Island, New York." Instantly the rainbow shimmered in the mist and was replaced by a view of a field of strawberries and two blonde haired boys laughing to each other as they leaned against a pole. "Connor! Travis"

The blonde haired boys' heads snapped up. "Annie!" Travis yelled. "Where have you been that you haven't been able to talk to us?"

"Sorry, I've been kind of busy." I told them sheepishly.

"Too busy for your best friends?" Connor asked, feigning a hurt expression on his face.

"Well, school just started today."

"How'd you do?" Travis asked.

"One detention and scolded three times."

"Awesome." They said at the same exact time.

"Not so awesome for my friends. Harry's pretty upset about it, or maybe it's more because Snape hates his guts."

Connor raised an eyebrow, staring at me questioningly. "Does someone have a boyfriend?"

I could feel the heat start to creep up into my cheeks as I blushed. "No! Harry's just my friend. So is Ron."

"Ah, but we're still your best friends, are we not?" Connor said as he tried to cover the laugh that was bubbling up inside him due, no doubt, to the expression on my face.

I pretended to think about it for awhile before I said. "No, you're not."

Travis looked down in shame as Connor pretended to cry. "I'm hurt Annie. Really really really really really really really really really-"

"Get a move on with it!" Travis yelled as he prodded his older brother angrily.

"Hurt." Connor finished.

I smiled widely at my two best friends and felt a pang in my chest. While I was having a good time at Hogwarts, the part of me that missed camp and the way things used to be was nearly unbearable. I missed the way I would get up at the last possible minute and nearly miss breakfast every morning, singing songs around an enchanted campfire, fighting practice dummies in the arena, playing Capture the Flag, and heck, I even missed playing pinochle with Chiron. So I asked the only question that had been really important to me since starting this conversation. "How's camp?"

"It's good, I guess." Connor said. "Kind of boring now that you left, actually."

"Yeah, there are only about twenty kids still here since summer ended. There's nowhere near enough people left to prank."Travis agreed.

I rolled my eyes good naturedly. "Somehow I think you two will manage."

"You have no idea how hard it is though!" Travis complained.

"We can't prank anybody here because they'll know it was us! What fun is that?" Connor added.

"That never seemed to stop you two before."

"Who said it was stopping us?" Travis said. "Connor just said it wasn't as fun."

"You two don't ever change, do you?"

"Not likely." They said at the same time.

"Where are you going to school anyway?" Connor asked, looking through the Iris Message at my surroundings. "In the woods?"

I sighed. "No. I'm in the woods behind the castle."

Travis' eyes bugged out. "Castle? You go to school in a castle?" I smiled slightly at their surprised faces.

"Yeah, but it's pretty hard to get from class to class."

"What's with your uniform anyway?" Travis asked as he stared at it weirdly.

"Oh this? Well… the style here is slightly… different."

"You live in England. It can't be that different."

"Well, I um…got to go! I'll IM you two later." And then I slashed my hand through the mist quickly and dashed off through the forest. They were noticing that things were different; that wasn't good. First school uniforms, then they've concluded that I'm a witch. I didn't want them to think I was some sort of freak. I just wanted them to see me as Annie; they're quirky, clumsy friend with untidy curly brown hair that is always kept in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a laugh always ready to burst out of her lips. Yeah, freak didn't fit that description.

I made it back up to the castle with surprising ease, but the sky was getting dark. It was way past curfew and I couldn't afford to get in trouble again. It was times like these that I really wished I had Annabeth's invisibility cap. But alas, I was left completely vulnerable to the wandering eyes of a stray professor.  
I peeked behind each corner before proceeding down the corridor, in fear of being caught by Professor McGonagall, or worse, Professor Snape. I made it almost to the portrait of the Fat Lady when I heard a soft _meow_ behind. Styx…

"What are you doing out of bed so late?" Came the gravelly voice of Argus Filch, the caretaker.

"I…I uh..got lost on the way back to the common room about an hour ago." I lied.

"Liar." He said simply.

"No, sir, I swear!" His cat hissed menacingly at me, and I fought the urge to kick the thing in its face.

"Detention. And you are lucky that the punishment is not more severe." He turned around again and strode off down the corridor, muttering to himself. I couldn't be sure, but I could have sworn that he said something along the lines of, "If only Dumbledore would allow me to hang the filthy brats in the dungeon. Oh how I miss the days when punishments were actually punishments." I swallowed hard and turned to walk in the opposite direction and through the portrait hole.

"Out for a late night stroll, are we?" Came that all too familiar singsong voice.

"I don't think that's any of your business George Weasley." I muttered angrily.

"I'm Fred."

I rolled my eyes and sighed in annoyance. "No you're not."

"And how would you know that Miss Antigone Greymann?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that!"

"No, you told George that. I'm Fred."

"Ugh!" I pushed passed him and stomped over to the couch where I sat down in a huff. Unfortunately, George thought it would be hysterical to follow me. "Do you just go out of your way to be obnoxious?" I wondered out loud.

"Why yes. Yes I do."

"Can I have just two moments of peace please? You already got one detention today because of you, and I don't want to get yet another one for murdering a fellow student!"

George put a hand over his heart feigning a wounded look on his face. "Ouch. That hurts Annie."

"It was meant to." I muttered.

"Aw, you don't really mean that do you? Not to me, the funnier, nicer, better looking twin. Fred perhaps, but not me."

I smiled and shoved him playfully aside. "I caught you! I knew you weren't Fred!"

"And how is it that you can tell us apart when our own mother can't?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I just have a special talent for that sort of thing."

"Or maybe you've just watched us so long, pining over us, that you have become accustomed to who's who."

I rolled my eyes. "Could you be anymore conceited?"

He shrugged. "I suppose I could. I could actually be Percy."

I snorted and tried to hide the laughter that was bubbling up inside of me against my will. "Oh, so I'm funny now, am I? I've finally won you over?"

I sobered up immediately. "I never said that."

"But it was implied."

"No it wasn't"

"Yes it was."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was."

"You're impossible." I muttered through gritted teeth.

"You're too stubborn! Just admit that I'm not as big of a git as you originally thought."

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "Fine, you are not as big of a git as I originally thought, but you're still a git."

He smiled. "I'll take it."

"Was that what all this was about? Making me like you?"

"Maybe…" He said quietly.

"Well goodnight then."

"Goodnight Antigone!"

I groaned and stomped up the stairs and into my dormitory where I plopped onto my bed without changing into my pajamas, and instantly fell asleep. So my first day at Hogwarts hadn't been ideal, but I have to admit, it was the best first day I've ever had.

…

"I can't believe Malfoy said that!" I giggled to Harry as we walked through the portrait hole together, with Ron right beside us.

"Well he did, and it was absolutely hilarious." We all erupted into laughter as we entered the common room. Almost the second we walked in, Ron had noticed a large group of first years gathered around the notice board.

"I wonder what's-" I started, but Ron quickly cut me off.

"Flying lessons! They're going to teach us how to fly!"

"Seriously?" Harry asked, half nervous, half excited. "Like on brooms?"

"What else?" Ron said as he made his way closer to the notice board. "But it's with the Slytherins."

"Gross." I said, wrinkling my nose. "Out of all the houses, they chose to pair Gryffindor with Slytherin? Honestly what were they thinking?"

"Who knows? I just don't want to have to listen to another story about how good Malfoy is on a broom." Harry complained.

I giggled. "Me neither. If I have to listen to another _'When I was only seven years old I got my first broom and_… insert some ridiculous, unbelievable story here… '_And nearly crashed into a muggle airplane!' _story, I think I might vomit."

Harry and Ron laughed along with me at my impersonation of the stupid git himself. We didn't even notice that Hermione had come up behind us. Since the first day of school, Hermione and I hadn't talked much. She was always preoccupied with studying twenty four seven. But I still considered her to be one of my few friends at school, along with Harry and Ron.

"Are you three nervous about flying lessons?" She asked us. "I sure am. I checked out Quidditch through the Ages, for some helpful flying tips. Did you know that each broomstick is equipped with a cushioning charm to aid in comfortable flying?"

Ron rolled his eyes, but I tried to be polite about it. "No, I didn't know that Hermione."

She smiled smugly at me. "Yes, there are a lot of facts here about flying and quidditch that I'm sure you'll find most interesting."

"Yes, I'm sure I will." I tried not to pay attention to Harry and Ron who were snorting back laughter into their hands. Luckily Hermione didn't notice.

"Well, I have to go work on my Defense against the Dark Arts essay. Only thirteen inches about the effects of a vampire bite! There's just too much to write, I think I'll turn in about twenty."

"Hermione, that isn't due for another week." I explained to her carefully.

She sighed. "Yes, but I have to start it early so it doesn't seem rushed! Well, bye!" And with that, she turned around and left through the portrait hole, no doubt to spend countless hours searching the library for the perfect book.

"What a nightmare." Ron muttered.

"Hey, be nice. She doesn't have many friends." I scolded.

"I can see why." Ugh, Ron could be such an arse.

…

As it turns out, the next day at breakfast, Draco did brag relentlessly about his "experience" with riding a broom. Of course, he didn't sit with us because he was a Slytherin, but he made a point of walking past us and practically shouting about his most daring escapades.

I leaned over the table to whisper to Ron and Harry. "One galleon that he's terrible today."

Harry grinned wickedly. "I wouldn't bet against that. You're probably right."

Ron snorted into his pumpkin juice, but Hermione (who had been sitting two people over from us) got up. "It's really not polite to gossip about people like that." She said.

Ron rolled his eyes, grabbed his books and motioned for Harry and I to follow him, but I shook my head. "I'll be there in a minute." They shrugged and grabbed their books to go to our next class.

Hermione sighed heavily as she came over and sat next to me. "They hate me don't they?" She asked, chin quivering.

"No! They don't, I promise. Ron's just…well Ron's just being Ron. And Harry is rather… indifferent about the situation."

"No, they hate me. I can tell. Everybody does." And for once I could see how truly alone Hermione felt. I could tell that she had few friends, if any. When she came into our dormitory at night she crossed quickly over to her bed and fell asleep, never talking to anybody. I felt a sharp pang of sympathy for her. Yes, she could come over a little… overbearing, but she was a genuinely nice person.

"Don't say that Hermione. I don't hate you."

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, but I think you're about the only one."

"Lavender and Parvati don't hate you. We all think you're pretty nice."

"Really?"

"Really. And besides, if I hated you, would I be sitting here having a conversation like this with you?"

She shook her head, smiling. "No, I guess not. You're a good friend, you know that?"

I returned her smile. "Thanks, you too. But I think we should end this little heart to heart and go to class. Defense against the Dark Arts, fun right?"

"You know it." She said through her giggles. Then Hermione and I linked arms and strode out of the Great Hall together.

Defense Against the Dark Arts is not my favorite class in the world. I mean sure, the subject is fascinating, but the class is so… well weird. The teacher, Professor Quirrel is honestly the oddest teacher I've ever had. Well for one thing, he wears this absurd turban around his head. What purpose does it serve? Well, I have no idea. And for another thing, his classroom reeks of garlic. He has the dang things hanging in every nook and cranny of the room. Does the man seriously think we're all going to be attacked by vampires or something? And then there's the way he stutters. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people who actually have a speech problem with stuttering. But the way Professor Quirrel does it is so obviously fake. B-but w-who c-c-could ever c-call p-p-poor s-stuttering P-professor Quirrel a l-liar? But I'm the only one who's ever noticed, so maybe it's just all in my head.

Because of all these things, you can imagine my excitement when class finally let out and we were released for the day. But all the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins had to immediately report to the Quidditch Pitch for their first flying lesson.

The Quidditch Pitch was far behind the school, a little ways from the point that the open area of the Hogwarts grounds becomes the heavily wooded Forbidden Forrest. Ron and Harry had taken off for the Quidditch Pitch immediately after the bell signaling the end of class rang, which left me to walk with only Hermione. It's not that I don't like Hermione, because I do, but when that girl's nervous she talks nonstop. It was a whole ten minutes of her babbling on about Zeus knows what, and barely leaving time for me to add in a "How cool," "That is absolutely fascinating," "Well you don't say. I would have never guessed!"

Finally we reached the Pitch and I lead her over to where Ron and Harry were waiting for me. "Where have you been? We've been waiting here for hours Annie!" Harry exclaimed as he handed me a broom from the school's supply.

"Well, I was talking to Hermione." I told him, and he looked up as if just realizing she was there.

"Oh, hi Hermione."

"Hi Harry." She looked kind of awkward as she cast sideways glances at Ron who was picking some dirt out of his fingernails with the most determined expression on his face.

Just then, a middle aged witch with brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail came onto the field, broom in hand. "Okay First Years!" She called. "Line up!"

There was a chaotic scramble as all of the first years tried to make room so that they could stand next to their friends, Gryffindors on one side, Slytherins on the other. I cast a glance at Draco Malfoy who was giving everybody around him a superior look. When he noticed me staring at him, with a look of utter disgust I hoped, he smirked. I tried to give him the "evil eye", but he had already looked away.

"My name is Madam Hooch. Now, I want everybody to stand to one side of their brooms and say 'Up'. Do you got that?" She asked. We all nodded and did as we were told.

"Up." I told my broom quietly. "_Up." _Nothing. "UP!" My broom gave a pathetic little flip but was once again still. Ron didn't seem to be having much luck either, but when I glanced at Harry I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. Harry was staring at his broom in shock as it was clasped into his hand, having just flown into it. I didn't even want to think about what Draco's broom had done.

One by one, brooms started flying up into the hands of their owners, but mine remained stubbornly still. I sighed in frustration and bent down to just pick it up myself so I wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of being the last person left without a broom. "Hey! You there! Did I just see you pick up your broom?"

I was startled so much by this outburst that I quickly dropped the broom. "No ma'am. Sorry."

"Yes I did. What is your name?" She asked, coming over to stand right in front of me.

"Annie Greymann ma'am."

"Well, Annie Greymann, that will be ten points from Gryffindor for your disobedience. Next time I urge you to follow instructions."

I blushed scarlet and returned to the task of trying to call my broom up. _So much for not being embarrassed_, I though as I could hear some of the Slytherin girls giggling and pointing my way.

"Up." I told the broom half heartedly, and was thoroughly surprised when it leaped into the air and into my hand. "Wicked…"

I looked around and could see that I was the last person to call up my broom successfully and was even more embarrassed than before. Could I not do anything right? "It's okay. I couldn't get my broom either." Hermione whispered to me, trying to make me not feel as embarrassed.

"Thanks." I smiled.

Madam Hooch was back up at the front of the Pitch and she blew the whistle that was hanging around her neck hard. "Okay, First Years, mount your brooms. When I say go, lift off and hover for a few moments and then come back down. Ready… GO!"

I could see Neville out of the corner of my eye. He was twitching nervously as he jumped on to the broom. I wanted to tell him not to, because I knew something was going to happen. I don't know how to explain it, whenever something bad is about to happen, my heart starts to pound in my chest and my vision grows fuzzy. Before I found out I was a half blood, I used to attribute it to my imagination. But now that I knew who my real father was, I understood that this was something of a special power kids of Apollo have. As the god of prophecy, it would make sense that his children would be able to sense something bad happening in the future. It really wasn't anything all that special because all of my half- siblings are able to do the same thing.

"Neville. NO!" But I was too late, Neville had taken off from the ground and was zooming higher and higher into the air. I tried to ignore the strange looks that Ron, Harry, and Hermione were giving me.

"You! Boy! Come down right this instant." I thought that was a little pointless. Couldn't Madam Hooch see that Neville had absolutely no control over the antics of his broom? He was soaring up and up, through the arches of a castle bridge, dangerously close to a brick wall. He was going to get hurt, I just knew he was going to get hurt.

The Slytherins were laughing cruelly at Neville as he came back down, low enough that we could see his face that was screaming bloody murder. It was sad to admit that there were even a couple Gryffindors giggling quietly at Neville, like Lavender Brown.

Neville was going to hit the wall, he was flying to fast in that direction, there would be no time to change directions. None at all. He was getting closer and closer, and I watched with bated breath. And then he fell of his broom. Just as he was about to hit the wall, he fell. It was a lucky thing too, because if he had hit the wall instead, his injuries would be a lot worse than they were already. By the way he had landed I could tell that he had broken his wrist.

I ignored Harry's voice as he called me back, but I just had to make sure that he was okay. I felt incredibly sorry for poor Neville. He was always the subject of several jokes, and if I hadn't gotten there first Draco would have, and he would be armed with a good quick kick to his ribs.

"Are you okay Neville?" I asked him, leaning down to examine his wrist. He let out a barely audible whisper in response. "You broke your wrist, but I think I can…" I trailed off, contemplating what I should do. I was a good healer, one of the best in our cabin which was well known for our healing powers. But if I were to use those powers here at Hogwarts, would I be giving away a vital secret? Neville's moan of pain sealed the deal for me. I placed my fingers gingerly on his wrist and muttered a few words in ancient Greek. The tips of my fingers that were touching Neville's wrist started to glow softly and envelope his wrist. I hoped that Neville hadn't noticed, but by the astonished look in his eyes I could tell that he had.

"What…?" He started, but Madam Hooch had rushed over to where we were kneeling,

"Are you alright dear?" She asked as she examined him for any seriously noticeable injuries.

"I-I think so. But Annie- she… she fixed my wrist." He told her, still staring at me strangely.

"How so?"

"Well, Madam Hooch. His wrist looked…sprained, so I used a trick my dad showed me to fix it."

"Well, I'll just have to take you to Madam Pomfrey won't I?" She told Neville as she helped him to his feet. "You too Annie. I think you need to tell Madam Pomfrey exactly what you did. As for everybody else," She said a bit louder. "If I come back and you're on a broom, you will be expelled faster than you can say quidditch! Do you understand?" The rest of the students nodded in quiet shock, but I was lost in my own thoughts. Great, how was I supposed to explain all this? I should've just let Madam Hooch deal with it instead of helping. I stomped angrily after them after saying a quick goodbye to my friends.

The hospital wing was on the complete opposite side of the castle from where we entered, meaning we had to walk for a good ten minutes before we got there. Neville didn't seem to be in much pain, which let me know that I had fixed all the problems, but that gave me little comfort. That ten minute walk to the hospital wing was more like a death march to me.

When we got there, Madam Pomfrey was rushing around giving medicines to the few patients that were up in the Hospital Wing. "Another one?" She asked as soon as she saw Neville. "Very well, take a seat on that bed over there." And then she was gone to work with somebody else.

Madam Hooch turned to me. "You stay here and tell her exactly what happened. I have to go back and watch your fellow students."

"How'd you do it?" Neville asked, once Madam Hooch was out of earshot.

I shrugged, not yet willing to answer anything.

"But your fingers did this weird glowy thing. How'd you do it? Did your mum teach you?"

"I don't have a mum." I told him quietly.

Neville blushed deeply. "Oh sorry. I don't live with my mum either. I live with my Gran. My parents…there um…"

"My mum didn't want me. She left me at my aunt's house when I was a baby." I honestly don't know why I was telling Neville all this. Maybe it was because I had kept it all bottled up so long, only telling people occasionally. Or maybe it was because I knew that Neville was going through something very similar to what had happened to me. But for whatever reason, I kept talking. "Aunt Charlotte never really said so, but I don't think she was a very good person. She was a Slytherin, and Aunt Charlotte said she had an…interesting way of looking at the world."

It was amazing that Neville was actually listening to all this, nodding his head when appropriate, muttering words of agreement. " I don't think she could've been that bad of a person. Wouldn't you like to think that she was actually really nice?"

I shook my head defiantly. "No. I hate her."

Neville looked taken aback. "Why?"

"Any mother that willingly abandons her child is a horrible person and not anybody worthy of my time." I was amazed at how bitter I sounded, even to myself. But my simple answer had been enough to get Neville to change topics, not that the new one was much better.

"What about your dad?"

Umm… I didn't really know how to answer that. I couldn't just tell Neville that my dad was a Greek god. He'd never believe it first of all, and second, wasn't I in this very situation because I had shown off all my half- bloodness? "My dad…well he's not a wizard. But he's never been able to take care of me. I mean he does sometimes, but he's just… busy." I concluded as I messed with the sun pendant that was hanging around my neck.

"Did he give you that? The sun necklace I mean."

"Yeah, it was a sort of… going away present." Just then Madam Pomfrey came over to us.

"What can I do for you two?" She asked kindly.

"Neville fell off his broom." I told her.

Her brow creased in concern. "Are you okay dear? Anything broken?"

Neville shook his head. "No…well my wrist was. But Annie fixed it."

Madam Pomfrey turned slowly to look at me. "You healed Neville's broken wrist? How? You're only a first year."

I tried not to feel too offended by her remark; after all she was right to be skeptical. "My dad taught me a trick to fix it" I told her.

"And is your dad a healer?"

"No, he's not a wizard ma'am."

"So you fixed Neville's wrist with a muggle trick?"

Neville quickly cut in, shaking his head from side to side. "No, that wasn't a muggle trick. Her fingers started glowing and then my wrist was just healed. It was magic! It had to be." I wanted to tell him to shut the Hecate up, I had had Madam Pomfrey actually believing me but now he had blown it.

"Your fingers glowed? But how is that even possible?" She asked me, her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"It- it… I don't know."

"Show me." She demanded.

I really didn't want to. She would know that my magic wasn't normal. She would know that something was up, and I couldn't let that happen. "I can't."

"No, I think you can. Show me how you healed Neville's wrist or I'll have to give the two of you a detention for lying." One look at Neville's face and I knew I couldn't do that to him. I hung my head and reached out for Neville's arm where a small cut was dripping blood. I touched the wound gingerly, and muttered the same words in Ancient Greek. And just as before, my fingertips began to glow and the cut disappeared.

"Merlin's beard." Madam Pomfrey muttered. "How were you able to manage that?"

"It was just something I learned…while reading."

"But I've never heard of something like this. What book did you learn it from?" Madam Pomfrey wondered.

"It was at my aunt's house. But it fell…into the fire. It's gone now." Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows in disbelief but did not push the subject anymore.

"Well, I guess you're both free to go then. But Annie, if you're ever bored and looking for something to do, I would love it if you could come by here and help me out."

I thought about it for a moment. I didn't really think that it would be the wisest thing in the world to do, but hey, my mother isn't Athena goddess of wisdom, is she? This was probably the reason that I found myself saying, "Absolutely. I'd love to."

Madam Pomfrey smiled at me, no doubt wanting to learn the secret to my "trick". "Brilliant. I'll see you later then, Annie."


	9. Chapter 8: The Third Floor Corridor

**Sorry its been longer than usual, but I've been busy with finals and stuff. But now its Christmas break so I should be able to write more. I know this one is short, and follows the book for a lot of it, but it is pretty important so I wouldn't skip it. And I know the story has kind of been dragging, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that should make it pick up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

Chapter 8: The Third Floor Corridor

"No way. That's amazing Harry!" I squealed, enveloping my friend in a tight hug.

"Bloody brilliant mate!" Ron said as he clapped Harry on the back. "You have to be the youngest person to make the team in…"

"A century. That's what Oliver Wood told me." He finished, smiling widely at us. I was genuinely happy for him. From what I had heard, Harry's been through a lot and he deserves a good break. And what better way than making the House Quidditch team as a First Year? Ron was really surprised too. So surprised in fact that he completely forgot about his steak and kidney pie, which was growing increasingly cold by the second.

"I start training next week." Harry continued. "Only don't tell anybody because Wood wants us to keep it secret. He wants me to be some type of secret weapon or something."

Just then I noticed to identical red head twins walking happily towards us, which made me groan silently. "Well done." George said, patting Harry on the back. "We're on the team too- beaters."

"Well isn't that just bloody brilliant for you." I muttered sarcastically in a voice that I hoped was too quiet for anybody to hear.

"Say something Antigone?" Fred asked, a trace of a smirk playing on his lips.

"I told both of you not to call me that."

"Aw, I think we made ickle Annie mad." Fred teased. Oh how I wanted to slap him.

"C'mon Fred. Let's just leave her alone."

"Since when do you care if we annoy people. We do it to Percy and Ron all the time." Fred defended.

"Yeah, but they're family. It's different."

"Does wittle Georgie have a wittle cwush on wittle Annie?" I blushed deeply, but that was nothing compared to the color George was turning.

"Sod off." He told his brother angrily.

"Touchy." Fred said as he backed away slowly from his brother. Harry and Ron had been watching this like a tennis match. First Fred, then George, then Fred, then George.

"Can you two please leave?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, since the lady said please." Fred said as he motioned for his brother to follow him out the door of the Great Hall.

"Is there any particular reason that you don't like them? Ron asked me as he shoveled more steak and kidney pie into his mouth.

I shrugged. "I don't know, they just kind of annoy me."

"So, Potter, having a last meal at Hogwarts are we?" Came the low drawling voice of none other than Draco Malfoy.

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." Harry retorted coolly. I nearly snorted into my drink. There was absolutely nothing little about Draco's two followers, Crabbe and Goyle. Both of them were huge! But since they were in the middle of a crowded hall and in front of all the Hogwarts staff, they could do little more than try and pretend to be menacing.

Draco was completely undeterred by Harry's threat. "I'd take you anytime on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only- meaning no contact." Harry's eyes bugged out of his head in surprise, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Draco. "What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has, Malfoy." Ron said angrily. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked between Crabbe and Goyle before turning around and saying, "Crabbe. Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." And then he turned around and strutted out of the Great Hall, making me giggle slightly. He was such a fruit cake.

"What's a wizard's duel?" Harry asked nervously. "And what do you mean you're my second?"

"Well," Started Ron slowly. "A second's there to take over if you die." Harry coughed after taking a huge drink of pumpkin juice.

"Die?" He asked.

"But people only die in real wizard's duels, with you know, proper wizards." Ron said quickly, causing the color to return to Harry's face. "You and Malfoy are only first years, the most you'll be able to do is shoot sparks at each other. Neither of you know enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse anyway."

"But what if he waves his wand and nothing happens?" I asked jokingly. Harry cast me a mean look from across the table.

"Throw it away and punch him in the nose." Ron suggested which made both me and Harry laugh at the thought.

"Excuse me." All three of us looked up to see Hermione Granger standing above us, wearing a very annoyed look on her face.

"Can't a person eat in peace?" Ron asked, earning him a kick under the table courtesy of me.

I could see Hermione's face turn pink, but otherwise she gave no indication that Ron had gotten to her. "I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying-"

"Bet you could." Ron said again, earning yet another kick under the table from me. Still Hermione ignored him.

"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, just think of all the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business." Harry said, which I thought was a bit rude.

"Good bye." Ron and Harry got up to leave and turned towards me, expecting me to come with them.

"I think I'm going to stay here and finish my dinner." I said, pointing to my own steak and kidney pie that was almost completely untouched.

"Suit yourself. Let's go Harry." And then the two of them left, leaving room for Hermione to sit next to me.

"I am such a prat. Why did I say that?" She muttered to herself, laying her head down on the table.

"No you're not. Honestly, I don't agree with what they're doing either."

"Then why didn't you tell them?"

I rolled my eyes. "You saw what they did to you. Ron and Harry are nice, but once they get their minds set to something, especially when it involves humiliating Malfoy, there is just no reasoning with them. Personally, I think it's a trap."

"Well yeah, maybe. I am going to head to the library to study. Do you want to come?"

"As riveting as that sounds, I think I am going to go up to the common room. See you later."

"Alright, bye." Then Hermione was gone as well.

…

I didn't really know what to do. I hadn't really been invited on Harry and Ron's little excursion, but I felt a little left out. All the same, I didn't want to seem like I was forcing my way into their duel, or that I was trying to stop them like Hermione was planning on doing. So that's why I lay awake in my bed, listening to Hermione as she flipped through the pages of her book, and Lavender and Parvati snored quietly.

Ron and Harry had spent the rest of the evening talking to each other quietly, giving each other hints for the duel. I wasn't really included in this conversation, but I didn't really need to be. For one thing, I didn't know anything about a wizard's duel, and for another I had nothing to do with the duel they were planning. So the majority of my evening was spent staring intently at the dying flames in the fireplace.

I heard Hermione get up quietly, so instead of spending the rest of the night wondering what's happening with Ron and Harry, I decided to follow her.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked sharply once she noticed that I had been following her.

"I'm going with you." I told her simply.

"Harry and Ron won't like that." She stated matter of factly.

I shrugged, "I'm going to follow them out. Maybe they'll need a witness."

"You're going to make us lose more points. Just stay behind. Besides, I thought you were against this."

"I am, but I just can't stand being left behind like this. I need to go." I said. While we were talking, we hadn't noticed two people join us in the common room.

"Shh, don't let Hermione hear you." Hermione's ears perked up slightly.

"Ron, you're an idiot. Just be quiet." Harry whispered harshly.

Hermione turned around. "I cannot believe you're going through with this Harry." She told them.

"Go back to bed Hermione." Ron said furiously.

"I almost told your brother." She snapped angrily. "You know, Percy. He's a prefect, he would have put a stop to this." Ron's face was getting redder and redder. Even Harry looked like he was getting angry with her.

"Hermione, maybe you should just go back to bed." I whispered, trying to stop the fight that was sure to start up.

"And I don't see why you have to go to Annie." She snapped.

"Yeah Annie, why are you up?" Harry asked.

"I wanted to come with you. You know, in case you need help."

"But I'm already his second." Ron said. "We don't need anybody else to come along. Malfoy would be beyond angry."

"All the more reason for me to join you, isn't it?" I asked sweetly.

Ron smiled. "Good, I see your point. Come along then."

"WHAT?" Hermione yelled furiously. "You're just going to indulge her like that. You're all going to get expelled, and I know for a fact that Annie already has three detentions, do you really want anymore?"  
I blushed angrily. "That's none of your business Hermione. Let's go guys." And then the three of us turned to walk out the Gryffindor common room, but by this time Hermione had changed tactics.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor? Do you only care about yourselves? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"Hermione, please. You're just making it worse for yourself." I pleaded. I didn't want Ron and Harry to get seriously mad at her, especially Ron. I knew that either of them could say something that would make her really upset.

"I thought you were my friend Annie. I can't believe that you're not sticking up for me." Ouch.

"Go away." Ron muttered as he stepped out of the portrait hole. We all followed quickly behind him, even Hermione who was shaking her finger at us angrily.

"All right," She said. "But I warned you. You just remember what I said when all three of you are on the train home tomorrow, you're so-"

Whatever we all were, I guess will never know because at that exact moment, Hermione had turned around to face an empty portrait.

"Where's the Fat Lady?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like you're stuck." Ron said smugly. "Looks like you are just going to have to wait here until some teacher comes by to take all those points away."

"No." Hermione said as she caught up with us after we had started to walk down the corridor. "I am coming with you."

"No you are not!" Harry said.

"Do you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll just tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"Why you've got some nerve-" Ron started, but I quickly shushed him.

"Shut up, both of you." I said sharply. "Do you hear that?" I heard a small snuffling coming from behind a suit of armor.

"Do you think it's Mrs. Norris?" asked Ron quietly, suddenly very scared.

"I don't think so." I said as I walked up cautiously to the suit of armor and peered behind it. "It's just Neville." I said, prodding him with my shoe as he was fast asleep.

Neville woke up with a jump, and blinked back into awareness. "Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to the common room."

"It's pig snout, but that won't really help you now. The portrait's empty. We have no idea where the Fat Lady went." Hermione said bitterly, glancing back at the portrait with a look of the deepest loathing.

"How's your arm?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.

"Fine." Said Neville as he held up his wrist. "Annie fixed it in about a minute."

The three of them looked at me with raised eyebrows. "How'd you manage that?" Ron asked curiously.

I rocked back and forth slowly on my heels. "Oh you know, just stuff."

"No! It was amazing. She said some sort of spell, except it sounded really weird, not like a normal spell. But then her fingers got all glowy and my wrist was healed. It was so cool."

"Where did you learn that?" Hermione asked. "I've never heard of a spell like that before."

"Neither had Madam Pomfrey." Neville said quickly. "She wants her to come back to hospital wing when she has free time so that she can show her."

"No, she wants me to go so that I can help out. It's really not that impressive." I told them all as I cast Neville an angry glance.

Harry shrugged. "Well can we go? We're going to be late. Bye Neville."

"Don't leave me!" Neville said quickly, jumping up from his hiding place. "I don't want to stay here alone. You have no idea what it's like! The Bloody Baron's been past twice already and I-"

"Fine, just let him come. We're already late." Ron said staring angrily at Hermione.

"If any of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrel told us about, and used it on you." Ron said pointing at Neville, Hermione, and I. I mimed zipping up my mouth, which earned strange looks from Neville and Ron.

"It's a muggle thing." I said quickly, and started walking towards the trophy room. We were all jumpy with every single creak and groan that the castle made. I noticed that Harry would glance nervously around every corner, no doubt expecting to see Mrs. Norris or Filch, but we were lucky. We didn't see one professor our entire trip to the trophy room.

Harry opened the door quietly to find the trophy room completely empty. "He's not here."

"It's already about fifteen minutes after midnight. Do you think he got lost?" I suggested.

"No, Draco wouldn't have suggested the trophy room if he didn't know where it was. I think he chickened out." Ron said. Then all five of us heard a noise that set us on edge.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." My heart dropped into my stomach as I realized who it was. It was Filch speaking to his evil cat Mrs. Norris. Harry waved at us eagerly to follow him as quickly as possible. We scurried silently toward the door, and away from the care taker. We barely made it out before Filch came into the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere." He muttered. "Probably hiding."

Harry motioned for us to follow him again and we rushed through corridors and a gallery full of suits of armor. Filch was coming closer…and closer… and closer… and closer. And then it happened. Neville tripped into a suit of armor. The resounding crash rattled my eardrums, and made Filch give a shout of excitement.

"RUN!" I shouted, grabbing Neville's arm and yanking him up. Nobody needed to be told twice, we all sprinted down the corridor, not caring to look back. We ran and ran, not really paying much attention to any land marks we might be passing.

"I - think- we- lost- him." Ron panted as he came to a sudden stop.

"What did I tell you?" Hermione panted, clutching at the stitch in her side. "I knew we were going to get caught."

"We can't stick around here." I told them, glancing nervously around the corner. "We have to get back to Gryffindor Tower, quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you." Hermione said matter of factly. "You realize that, don't you?" He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room. Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Harry nodded, realizing she was right. But he didn't say anything. He was probably too embarrassed, or proud, to say so. "Let's go." I whispered quickly.

Oh, but if only we could. Just then, Peeves had appeared from behind a door, cackling wildly. "Shut up Peeves. You're gonna get us caught!" Ron whispered sharply.

"Wandering around the castle at midnight?" Peeves said grinning. "Ickle firsties, tut tut tut, Naughty naughty you'll get caught!"

"Not if you just go away!" Ron told the poltergeist through gritted teeth.

"Should tell Filch, I should." Peeves continued, ignoring the fact that Ron had said anything at all. "It's for your own good, you know."

I wanted to tell Ron to stop it, but he tried to swipe Peeves out of the way in his frustration. This was the biggest mistake of the night.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" he bellowed. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" We ran in the opposite direction, trying to put as much distance between the five of us and the screaming poltergeist.

I tried not to pay attention to the fact that Filch had just shown up next to Peeves and Ron was muttering negative thoughts under his breath. "This is it! We're done for! This is the end!"

"Shut up Ron!" I snapped.

I could hear footsteps coming closer to us and new it was Filch, but we were at a dead end. Harry tried to jiggle the knob of a door off to our right but it was locked.

"Oh, move over!" Hermione demanded sharply, pushing Harry out of the way. She took out her wand and pointed it at the lock. _"Alohomora."_

She twisted the knob once and ushered us all inside. We shut it quickly and immediately turned around to press our ears against the door.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch asked quickly. I could imagine him standing there, out of breath and angry, with a mean looking cat sitting beside him.

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please!" Peeves said cheerfully.

"Alright- please."

"NOTHING! Ha haa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! HAAAA!" Filch cursed angrily and stomped away.

"I think we're safe." I told them, taking my ear away from the door. Neville shook his head, whimpering. "What's wrong?" I asked, but then I saw it. The dog was huge, like hell hound huge. With shaggy black fur and menacing eyes. If the dog had been normal, it probably would've been a Rottweiler. But this dog was most defiantly not normal. It had three heads, each pointed directly at us. Three pairs of glowing evil eyes squinted at us. And three sets of teeth, growling angrily

I was brought back to my first attack by an evil, monstrous dog, and twisted the sun pendant on my necklace immediately. I ignored the odd glances that were being cast my way by my friends as they took in the sight of me pointing a large golden bow at the beast. I released the arrow, expecting the monster to vaporize into dust. But nothing happened. Instead the arrow just sailed straight through the monster. "RUN!"

They didn't need to be told twice. After putting away my bow, we all fled through the school and straight to Gryffindor Tower. Luckily, the Fat Lady was back.

"What- was- that?" Harry panted, out of breath and pointing at my necklace.

Oh great, I searched my mind to find a better solution then what I knew I had to do, but I couldn't come up with anything. All four of them were staring at me wide eyed, and I sighed. I snapped my fingers causing a loud CRACK! and a rush of wind spread out in all directions. "You didn't see anything. There was no bow. My necklace is just an ordinary necklace."

Hermione nodded with a glazed sort of expression on her face. "Of course."

I felt bad about that. When Chiron taught me how to control the Mist, I didn't think I would ever have to use it. It didn't seem fair to control people's thoughts like that. It seemed like something my father would do, or any of the other gods for that matter. I never aspired to be like them. Chiron had taught me to control the Mist in case something like this happened. I had no other choice. Either way, as I lay in bed and waited for sleep, I felt beyond guilty. Oh well, at least they didn't have to know about me. If they had figured out my secret, they would be in a whole world of troubles, which was why I never told anybody. If they knew about my world they would be brought into a world of monsters and danger. But by what I saw just now, I guessed that this world wasn't any better.


	10. Chapter 9: Troll Bogies

**Sorry for the short chapter and the long wait, but I have been growing increasingly lazier over break. I'm not done with the next chapter yet, so it could be anywhere from a week to a month until its put up (but hopefully its shorter). I know there's really no excuse for my new found laziness, but I'm trying to power through the rest of first year so we can get to the really fun stuff (like problems at camp, Annie's first crush/boyfriend, a certain new student who can see through the mist, etc.), but all that stuffs a couple chapters off, but I think its starting to get interesting now in first year. Ok, so I think I've rambled for long enough, ENJOY!**

Chapter 9: Troll Bogies

"What do you think that was?" Harry whispered to Ron and I as we sat in the Great Hall the next day.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, but I knew. Or, I kind of knew. I was still confused as to why my arrow, which is supposed to kill any monster, couldn't harm this one. "Have you ever heard of Cerberus?"

My question was met by blank stares, but Hermione (who had just joined us), nodded. "He's the dog that guards the underworld in Greek myths." She said.

"Of course you would know, Hermione." Ron said, stabbing his eggs furiously. Hermione ignored him.

"But she's right Ron. That's what the dog was like. Didn't you notice with the three heads and everything. But as far as I know, there's only one and he never leaves the underworld."

"You talk about the thing like its real? Those are all just myths, right?" Hermione said.

Vlacas, I thought to myself. I was being so stupid! Why was I so reckless about these things? "Yeah, just myths."

"But that dog was defiantly real, and you're right about the dog, they were very similar. But that's not the important thing. Didn't you notice that the dog was standing on something?" Hermione asked looking between the three of us.

"How do you know it was standing on something?" Ron asked.

"Because Ronald." Hermione said with an eye roll. "I use my eyes. Anyway, it was guarding something."

"How do you know?" Harry asked, finally speaking up.

"Well, nobody puts a murderous dog in the middle of a school without a reason, do they? And it was standing on a door in the middle of the floor. It must be something valuable if Professor Dumbledore went to such lengths to keep it guarded."

" I think I know what its guarding." Harry said seriously.

"How would you know?" I asked.

"Well, when I went to Diagon Alley, Hagrid took something out of a vault. He said it was important Hogwarts business. Somebody tried to break into the same vault shortly after that. Somebody's after what was in that vault."

I was about to say something else when a rush over our heads told us that the owls had just arrived with today's post. Harry looked absolutely shocked when a large parcel was dropped in front of him. "What is it?" I asked him quickly. I was curious as to who had sent him the mail. As far as I knew, he didn't know anybody who would send him mail, besides his aunt and uncle that is. And from what he told me, they weren't the most pleasant people in the world and they absolutely hated him.

"I don't know. But there's a note." He told me.

"Well read it!" Ron demanded, leaning into me so he could get a closer look at Harry's package.

"Okay. Well it says,

_DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE._

_It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o' clock for your first training session. _

_Professor M. McGonagall._

Ron and I immediately looked up at the Heat Table where Professor McGonagall was looking at us contently as she stroked a large tawny owl, the same owl that had delivered Harry's broomstick.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one!"

I said a quick good bye to Hermione and Harry, Ron, and I left the Great Hall so that we could open the package. We hadn't even made it across the Entrance Hall before Harry broke down and gave into his curiosity. Inside was a very nice looking broom with a polished handle and neat bristles on the bottom. At the very tip were the words _Nimbus Two Thousand_.

Ron was looking at it in wide eyed wonder, and even I had to let out a low whistle. "Awesome…"

"What are you still doing here Potter? Enjoying your last day at Hogwarts?" came a loud, drawling voice. Great, now Draco Malfoy was here. The git.

"We weren't expelled Malfoy." Ron snarled.

Draco ignored him, instead grabbing the broom out of Harry's hands. "Got yourself a broom stick Potter?" He said, trying to sound mean and menacing, but he couldn't hide the jealousy in his voice.

"That's not any old broomstick. That's a Nimbus Two Thousand." Ron said proudly. "What do you have at home Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry and I. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as a Nimbus."

Malfoy turned beat red. "What would you know Weasley? You can't even afford half the handle. I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." Ron looked like he was ready to jump Draco, but Professor Flitwick had just walked by.

"Not arguing, I hope." He said as he came over to us.

"Professor, Potter's been sent a broom stick!" Draco said, pointing to the Nimbus in Harry's hands. What a tattle tale.

"Oh yes. Minerva's told me all about your special circumstances Mr. Potter. And what model is it?"

"It's a Nimbus Two Thousand, sir." Harry said. I glanced over at Malfoy who looked completely horrified at the exchange happening. "But it's really thanks to Draco that I got it in the first place." He added. Malfoy's face turned a color that didn't look exactly human and stormed off into the other direction.

"Ah yes. Well good day boys, and Miss Greymann." Professor Flitwick said and he too walked off.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron said as we started to make our way back to the common room. "Did you see the look on his face?"

" I know!" I said smilingly, and I climbed back into the portrait hole.

"Hiya Harry. We were told that you got a-"

"new broomstick. Wood says –"

"It's a Nimbus Two Thousand." I looked back and forth between Fred and George, trying to decide why they though it necessary to talk like that. Our heads bounced back and forth between the two of them like we were watching a tennis match, but a much more annoying one.

"Yeah, it is." Harry said, showing Fred and George his new broom proudly.

"Wicked." They breathed together.

"You should've seen Malfoy's face when he saw it!" Ron said happily to his brothers.

"You mean that obnoxious first year?" George asked.

"Yeah him."

"Well good, he probably deserves it. So anyway, we heard you guys got in a bit of trouble last night." Fred said.

"How do you know?" I asked accusingly.

"We have our ways." George said. "Almost caught by Filch?"

"Yeah, something like that." Harry told them.

"Lucky we didn't. I don't really need another detention." I muttered.

"How many do you have?" Fred asked. "One?"

"Three."

"Bloody hell! It's only the first week of school. I think she might have broken our record Fred!" George said. "Do you always get in this much trouble?"

"No. I usually don't get caught."

George grinned. "Nice."

"Yeah, I guess. I have to go. I haven't even started my Potion's essay." And then I rushed up the stairs and out of their way. Ugh, Fred and George had a way of always showing up and ruining my good mood. They're nice enough I guess, but then I remember that prank they played on me my first night here and I immediately forget every nice or funny thing they've said since and continue to not like them. That prank was so humiliating and I don't forgive things like that easily.

After rushing through my entire potions essay, I left the dormitory to go look for either Ron or Hermione, because I knew that Harry was having his first quidditch practice right now. After searching the castle for about thirty minutes and an unfortunate run in with Peeves, I seriously contemplated going down to the Quidditch pitch to cheer him on. No, I decided, he had enough pressure right now without having to worry about looking like a fool in front of me. I had just settled down on the couch in front of the fireplace that resided in the Gryffindor Common Room, already thinking about subjecting myself to a boring afternoon, when my last conversation with Madame Pomfrey came back into my head. She had said that I was welcome to help out in the Hospital Wing whenever I wanted.

It's not that I didn't want to help, because from what I saw when I was there last time, the Hogwarts Hospital Wing could desperately use some. The thing was, going to the Hospital Wing and helping Madame Pomfrey out meant putting myself out there and making me vulnerable to exposure. I knew what happened to mortals when they were thrown in to the world of Camp Half Blood, and I don't think anybody deserves a fate like that. But if I didn't do any of the magic finger glowing medical miracle stuff…

I got off the couch before I could think of another argument to stay behind. If I didn't go, I was bound to have one of the most boring afternoons in the history of afternoons. That was reason enough to go. My ADHD just couldn't take sitting around for long periods of times.

It didn't take me all that long to get to the Hospital Wing. I knew the way, for the most part. Well, I knew what floor it was on, and that was good enough for me. After only getting lost once, and ten minutes of hoping I was on the right path, I made it to the Hospital Wing. I noticed the beds weren't as full as they were last time, but that didn't mean that there weren't a considerable amount of students still occupying them.

Madam Pomfrey was bustling around from bed to bed, distributing some medicine here, pointing her wand at a wrist there. Her ways of fixing injuries was so much different than the way we healed things at camp. I had just decided to walk out and pretend that my trip had never happened before I faced being discovered, when Madam Pomfrey saw me. "Oh hello dear! Annie isn't it? Decided to take on my offer, did you? Well good. Merlin knows I could use your help. Go check on Mr. Roger Davies over there. He tripped over a stool in potions!"

I barely had time to nod to show that I understood, when the woman had thrust me over to a bed near the back of the wing. Hades, could that lady talk. She hadn't even let me get a word in!

Roger Davies was sitting up in his bed and clutching his wrist, trying not to look like it hurt too much in front of the other students. He was a decent looking boy of about fourteen, with dark wavy hair and brown eyes. I blushed despite myself, I wasn't here to boy shop, there was no reason to notice their appearance in that way. "Who are you?" He asked, rather bluntly.

"I'm Annie. I'm helping out here." I told him, slightly snappy. "Is it your wrist that's bothering you?"

"You're only a first year." He said, wrinkling up his nose. "You wouldn't know how to fix it."

I tried to ignore the jibe and continued as if nothing had happened. "So it is your wrist then, give it here." He complied grudgingly and I grabbed hold of his arm. "Now look away." There was no reason for him to see what I was about to do. It was bad enough that both Neville and Madam Pomfrey had seen me do this, there was no reason to add another one.

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Just do it."

"Well how do I know you're not going to just break it more, or worse?" He asked, trying to yank his wrist out of my grasp.

"Because I'm only a first year." I said rather icily. I was not liking this boy very much. "I wouldn't dare hurt another student, even if I could. Now just do as I say." He wrinkled his nose even more, making him look like he had just eaten something really sour. Nope, he definitely wasn't attractive now. But he closed his eyes and turned his face in the other direction. I touched his wrist gingerly and muttered the familiar words and his wrist snapped back into place.

"Are you done yet?" He asked, turning back around,

"Yes. You can go I guess, unless you have some other injury you need me to fix."

He gave me a look, which I thought was entirely unnecessary. "No. I'm good. See you later Firstie."

I sat there awkwardly, not really knowing what I should do next. Madam Pomfrey was busy tending to some pale looking Slytherin, but there were still a lot of others. So I moved over to the next bed and plastered a smile on my face, something I had seen nurses do plenty of times at the hospital. "Hey, I'm Annie. And you are?"

It was a girl who looked much, much older than me. Probably a seventh year. Her black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she was hiding her wrist under the sheets. "Natalie. Are you helping Madam Pomfrey out or something?"

"Yeah, something like that. What's bothering you?"

She pulled her wrist out of the sheet to reveal a scaly red clawed hand. "Potions accident." She explained. Oh. Well I didn't really think that my powers extended to magical maladies such as this one. But I wasn't one to look like an idiot. And luckily, Apollo wasn't either. For some reason, which I later realized was probably my father helping out, I knew exactly what to do. I crossed the room to a shelf by the window and grabbed a bottle of _Essence of Murtlap_.

"Here." I told her as I handed her a small cup full. "This should help the scales and claws. But it might still be a little red for a while."

She took the cup gratefully. "I can trust you right? This won't make me sprout a tail to match?"

I giggled at her joke. "Of course not, but it won't taste pleasant."

She wrinkled her nose and nearly gagged. "You're right." She shuddered. "I'll try my hardest not to come back for that anymore."

"Well I hope you don't have to as well."

"Thanks. Are you going to be up here during the feast tomorrow?" Natalie asked as I walked her to the door.

"Feast? Oh, you mean for Halloween. No I wouldn't miss it."

"Good, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if I missed the Hogwarts Halloween Feast my first year. It's one of my favorite parts of the year."

"Well maybe I'll see you there."

"Yeah. See you around." She said and then she turned out of the Hospital Wing and disappeared down another corridor.

"How did you know to use Essence of Murtlap?" Madam Pomfrey asked, holding up the familiar crystal bottle.

I jumped a little at the sound of her voice. I hadn't really expected her to be watching. But then again, what had I expected? Of course she wouldn't leave me to take care of her patients completely unwatched. "I… read about it… in a book."

"That seems to be your excuse for just about everything, doesn't it? No matter, you're quite the natural at this, aren't you?"

I blushed gratefully. "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey."

"No, I mean it. Come back next Saturday if you're not too busy. But you can be done for today. I think I have it all under control now."

"I'll do that, come back next Saturday I mean."

"Good. I'll see you then Annie."

I had surprisingly enjoyed working in the Hospital Wing. Well, that is after I had finished treating Roger Davies. But Natalie had been nice enough. It was nice to find something that I was really good at here. I was smiling widely as I walked into the common room, and I almost immediately saw Harry and Ron sitting by the window.

"Hey guys!" I greeted cheerfully.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, well I was helping Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. It was actually really fun." I added to ease their weary faces.

"Fun. Quidditch went great!" Harry said happily.

"Great. Are you any good?"

"I don't know. Oliver seemed happy enough, but I haven't seen any other players so I wouldn't know." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sure you're great. I have to go back up to my dormitory. My clothes smell like hospital."

…

"..now swish and flick, just like that!" Professor Flitwick said as he demonstrated the motion with his wand. Harry, who was sitting beside me, followed immediately. But it took me a couple of minutes to snap out of my daydream and return to the world of the living. "Very good Miss Granger!" Flitwick praised. "Now I think we can add the incantation. Do you all have your feathers?"

The class mumbled a small "Yes Professor," before returning to their stupor.

"Good, good. Now repeat after me. Wingardium Leviosa."

Hermione was one of the first to follow instructions and her feather gave a small jump into the air. Ron noticed this and was not at all pleased by it. "Wingardium Leviosaa." Nothing. I felt a pang of sympathy for my friend as Hermione turned her annoyance to him.

"It's Wingardium LeviOsa, not Leviosaaar." She told him. The tips of Ron's ears turned beat red.

"Fine." He spat. "If you're so great, why don't you do it?"

Hermione gave Ron a smug smile. "Wingardium Leviosa." She swished and flicked her wand just right and the feather rose gently into the air.

"Very good Miss Granger! Ten points to Gryffindor" Hermione smiled proudly and Ron's ears turned their trademark red, and he slid down in his seat annoyed. I didn't see him move his wand for the rest of the class.

"Can you believe her? What a nightmare, honestly! It's no wonder why she doesn't have any friends!" Ron exclaimed angrily. "It's LeviOOOOOOOOOOOOOOsa, not Leviosaaaaaaar. What a-"

I was just about to retort and tell Ron to stop it, when Hermione pushed passed us. I couldn't be too sure, but I thought I saw tears streaming down her face. "I think she heard you Ron." I told him. Ron looked down ashamed, but got over it quickly enough and started talking to Harry, leaving me to find Hermione.

This task, as simple and easy as it may seem, was much harder than expected. I checked the dormitory first, but without any luck. Then I went to the library, and most surprisingly, she wasn't there either. I searched for about ten more minutes before I gave up and went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. She would more than likely be there. After all, Hermione Granger doesn't skip class.

But she did today. Ron was looking more and more worried as the class went on, which was very unlike him. He kept glancing back at the door, and tapping his pencil impatiently. "Just apologize to her Ron." I whispered, while Professor Quirrell was busy writing something on the board.

"Not bloody likely. Maybe she should show up first, then apologize for making me look like an idiot in front of everybody!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You're hopeless."

…

By the end of the day Hermione had still not shown up, and I was beginning to get worried. I had just resolved to finding her after the Halloween Feast if she didn't show up, when I heard Parvati Patil whispering loudly to her friend. "Hermione's been in the bathroom all day, just crying her eyes out. When I went in to check on her she said she wanted to be left alone." Ron looked a bit uncomfortable when he heard this, but for the most part he pretended that he hadn't heard a thing.

"I should go check on her…" I told them starting to turn around, but Ron caught my hand.

"Just stay for the feast. Besides, you heard Parvati. Hermione wants to be left alone."

"Yes, but what kind of friend would allow their friend to sit in a bathroom and cry their eyes out?"

"Just stay for the feast." He said and dragged me into the Great Hall. At first I had no idea why Ron had been so insistent on me staying for the feast, but finally concluded that he was embarrassed. Ron Weasley didn't want me to go talk to Hermione and grovel for him.

I wanted to enjoy the feast, and succeeded in this eventually, but I kept glancing back over my shoulder to see if Hermione was coming. However, my mind was taken off of my friend in the bathroom as soon as I noticed how spectacular the Great Hall looked. The candles that usually hung above the Great Hall were replaced by a thousand tiny pumpkins, all twinkling from the candles inside them. But that wasn't even the most amazing part. Hundreds and hundreds of live bats flew around the hall. They flew in clusters, and they flew as loners. Either way, each bat made the light from the pumpkins stutter.

I was just about to dig into my second helping of potatoes, when Professor Quirrell walked, no sprinted, into the Great Hall. Everybody stared at him and the frantic look on his face. "Troll… in the dungeon! I thought you ought to know."

And then he sank to the floor in a faint.

The effect was instantaneous. Students got up from their tables, screaming and running towards the doors. Teachers got up to try to bring order. Only Professor Dumbledore seemed capable of calming down the panicking school. He waved his wand and immediately, the Great Hall was silent. "Prefects," He roared. "Lead your houses back to their dormitories immediately!" Percy jumped up and puffed out his chest proudly.

"Follow me, Gryffindors! Stick together First years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me! I am a prefect!" Oh Percy…

I was just about to follow the group of first years when a horrible thought struck me. "Hermione." I whispered harshly.

"What was that?" Harry asked, stopping to turn and look at me.

"Hermione." I repeated again.

"What about her?" Ron asked as he too stopped to look at me.

"She wasn't in the Great Hall when Professor Quirrell told everybody about the troll. She doesn't know!"

The color drained out of both of their faces. "We have to go." Ron said hurriedly, and rushed off in the other direction. Harry and I looked at each other, slightly confused by Ron's sudden change of heart. I shrugged at him and went to follow Ron.

I was pretty sure I knew what bathroom she was in, as there was only one that was remotely close to the Charms classroom. "This way!" I called to them as I dashed off around a corner, but stopped almost immediately. There was somebody moving down the hall. I grabbed my two friends by their shirts and shoved them into a doorway that was hidden in the shadows. As soon as I was sure we were out of sight, I dared to look out. It was Professor Quirrell.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked. "All of the teachers are supposed to be in the dungeon looking for the troll."

"I don't know, but we better get going." I said hurriedly, and once I was sure that Professor Quirrell was out of sight, I continued down the hall. We were almost there when I heard the crash, and I knew we were going to be too late. "Its' found her!"

The three of us broke into a sprint and found the door completely ripped off its hinges and thrown across the corridor. Inside the bathroom was Hermione, cowering under a sink in the back, and she was struggling to keep on a brave face. But what made my heart drop out of my chest, and my knees almost give way was the hideous, giant monster raising a club above her.

I reached for my necklace instinctively, but stopped myself. If this troll was anything like the monster from the third floor corridor, I knew it would do nothing except confuse my friends and possibly anger the monster. I was basically weaponless in this situation.

I barely had time to register Harry's voice calling out frantically. "Hermione, move!" before the troll's club smashed down on the sink Hermione had been under, and my friend had barely gotten herself out of the way with a shriek. I tackled the troll.

Well, I can't really say tackled, can I? As the troll was about five times larger than me and I had nothing to attack it with. Either way, I was up onto of the troll and beating its head as hard as I could. Of course this didn't help anything. If anything, it only made it angry. I registered that Harry was next to me, and he too was trying to beat the troll's face in. The troll gave a loud grunt, and picked up the both of us off of his face. He started spinning us around using one hand, and with the other he was trying to hit us with the club. Harry and I were both trying to dodge it, but it was hard, and I was quickly running out of energy. I was getting more and more exhausted, and then with a pain worse than I had ever felt before, my vision turned fuzzy and I black out. I had been hit.


	11. Chapter 10: A Son of Hermes

**I know it's been awhile, and I'm really sorry! I'm having a lot of trouble writing this part and I have no idea why. It literally took me two weeks just to write a paragraph of this chapter. The problem is I keep getting these great ideas for this story, but they're all for later in the story so I end up getting bored writing these parts. Oh well, I'll push through this and hopefully finish first year by April, but I can't make any promises. **

Chapter 9: A Son of Hermes

I honestly couldn't tell you how long I was out for, a day, a week maybe? But when I woke up I had absolutely know idea where I was. The room was white, with a semi circle of beds around the room. There weren't really very many other people in the room, except for a middle aged witch who was straightening the sheets on one bed and humming to herself. I recognized this place, it was the Hospital Wing. I really do seem to end up waking up in some type on infirmary a lot, don't I? Oh well, guess that can happen when you're a half- blood. No scratch that, it will most defiantly happen if you're a half- blood witch.

But why was I here? I let out a small groan of both frustration and pain, making the middle aged witch, who I now knew was Madam Pomfrey, look up at my bed. "Oh good, you're up dear. I was wondering how long you'd be out." She said.

I sat up, rubbing my head, and was shocked to feel that there were bandages around my head. "Wh- what happened?" I asked as I patted my head gingerly.

"Oh dear, don't you remember? You were attacked by that troll. Those three friends of yours have been worried sick! I'd say they would've stayed by your side for days, if I hadn't kicked them out about an hour ago so that they could sleep."  
"My three friends? Oh, you mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione. How long were they here for?"

"They've been here all night! You gave all of us quite a scare, Annie." I smiled warmly at her. Madam Pomfrey reminded me so much of everything I loved about Aunt Charlotte. She just had that motherly kindness that made you like her.

"Was it really that bad?" I asked nervously.

Madam Pomfrey grimaced slightly. "It was horrible when you were first brought here. Blood pouring out of your- no I don't need to talk about things like that. The point is, it was a rather nasty blow to your head. You might've suffered from amnesia if you hadn't been brought up here quickly for me to tend to you."

I shivered despite myself. "How long do I have to stay here?"

Madam Pomfrey just shrugged. "We'll see how you're doing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, why don't you get some rest. No doubt Harry, Ron and Hermione will be up here the second classes get out."

At the time I just laughed off the thought, certain that the three of them had much better things to do than stalk my sick bed. It was only after I had just decided to close my eyes and attempt to go back to sleep that I changed that thought.

"Hey Annie! Glad to see you're up!" Came the cheery voice of Ron. I grunted painfully and rolled over.

"Hey yourself." I muttered, as I opened my eyes groggily.

Hermione cracked a small smile. "How have you been feeling?" She asked quietly, and by this I could tell that she felt like this was all her fault. Like I would have never been hurt if she hadn't been there.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I feel great… well not _great_, but good for just being whacked in the head by a troll's club. I heard it was rather nasty."

Ron snorted. "If by rather nasty you mean absolutely disgusting. Merlin Annie, there was blood everywhere!" Hermione stomped on his foot, which made me giggle quietly.

"It's alright Hermione, honestly. The only thing that's really bugging me is the fact that I'm stuck here for the rest of the day. I hate feeling so useless."

The three of them managed sympathetic smiles and settled down around my bed. I noticed that the three of them seemed really friendly, and even more surprising, Ron hadn't said one tactless thing to Hermione since they got here. The thought that they might actually all be friends made me smile widely. "What are you so happy about?" Ron asked, eyeing my expression cautiously.

"Oh, nothing. So I suppose you guys are all friends now?"

Harry nodded. "Guess there's some things that you just can't go through without become friends. Fighting a troll's one of them." I laughed.

"I guess I know what you mean. I remember one time Travis, Connor, and I had to- you know what never mind. I'm just glad you guys are friends."

Just then Madam Pomfrey came over and shooed them away. "She needs her rest. Head injuries are very delicate and I don't want her straining herself. Besides, don't you three have class?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my goodness, you're right! Ron, Harry we have to get going. You know what Professor Snape's like when people walk in late!" Ron and Harry looked a little disgruntled but didn't say anything and followed her out the door. I smiled happily as I lay my head down on my pillow. Some things will never change.

…

It seemed like forever before Madam Pomfrey left the hospital wing and retired to her quarters, which were unfortunately right next to the hospital wing. Other than that, I was alone. None of the other students had to stay overnight like I did, which was lucky on my part. I didn't really want to explain to anybody why I was sneaking out.

I stayed in bed for another hour before I was certain that Madam Pomfrey was asleep and wouldn't hear me get up. I stepped out cautiously and slipped on my tennis shoes that were laid neatly beside my bed. I wished I had a coat, as it was most definitely chilly outside, but I didn't have one with me and I didn't think it was smart to go back to my dormitory and grab mine. Oh well, I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it.

The walk out of the castle was absolutely terrifying to say the least. I kept stopping to hide behind a statue, certain that I heard footsteps, but they were in fact just my imagination. Once I had composed myself, I dared to step out from behind the statue and continue my walk to the Forbidden Forest.

As soon as I stepped outside my breath caught in my throat. I knew it would be chilly, but I never expected it to be this cold! It was only November. My teeth chattered noisily as I walked past Hagrid's hut and into the heavily wooded forest. Even though I hadn't been to the clearing in awhile, I was pretty sure I knew where it was. It was about a ten minute walk into the forest, past a strange looking boulder, and right beyond the moss covered log… I think. The truth was, I was just about as lost as the first time I dared to wander into the woods.

It took me about thirty minutes, most of which were spent wandering aimlessly around in a circle, but I finally found it. By this time my hands were numb from the cold and the only thing I could think about was staggering back to the hospital wing and snuggling up underneath the warm, toasty, comfortable covers. I shook the thought out of my head. It had been forever since I had last talked to Connor and Travis and I really missed them.

I fished around in my pocket for the golden drachma that I always kept on me, and was about to through it into the mist when a horrible thought struck me. It was night and there was no sun out. No sun meant there was no rainbow. No rainbow meant that there was no way I could IM them. "ARGH!" I kicked the tree nearest to me and promptly clutched my foot in pain. "Styx…" How could I have been so stupid? Of course I couldn't IM them at night! That blow to the head must have really messed with my mind. I sat down on the grass and slipped the drachma back into my pocket. As cold as I was, I didn't really want to go back to the castle just yet.

I had just leaned my head up against the tree and started to doze a bit when I heard the leaves rustling behind me. I shot up quicker than a satyr confronted with a dumpster full of tin cans and drew my bow. "Who's there?" I heard a quiet chuckle followed by another.

"C'mon out Annie. We're righ' o'er here." Came the all too familiar voice of Hagrid.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" I asked as I quickly hid my bow behind my back.

"Well Miss Greymann," said the second voice as he stepped out into the clearing. "Hagrid was just showing me something. I think that better question is, what are you doing out past curfew and in the Forbidden Forest?"

I gulped. This night could not get any worse. "Professor Dumbledore… I…"

"Come with me Miss Greymann. I would like to have a word with you." He said. I could only nod, too shocked to form coherent sentences. I twisted the sapphire on my bow in a way that I hoped neither of the two men before me would notice, but I could have sworn I saw Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkling in my direction over half- moon glasses.

We walked out of the forest in silence and told Hagrid goodnight as we reached his hut, well Dumbledore did. I was too scared that I was about to be expelled to actually do more than walk quietly behind Dumbledore. The headmaster led me up through the castle and stood in front of a strange stone gargoyle. He gave me a small smile, his eyes twinkling behind his half- moon glasses. "Chocolate Frog." What? I stared open mouthed at him, but the gargoyle had started to move, revealing a spiral staircase.

"I-is this your office sir?" I muttered quietly.

Dumbledore nodded. "After you." He said, motioning towards the staircase as it spiraled upwards. I did as I was told and stepped onto it.

Dumbledore's office was fantastic. It was a large room, with portraits of snoozing witches and wizards lining the walls. Every nook and cranny was packed with odd little trinkets. Some were moving about, others were whistling some sort of song, and some were even shooting off sparks at odd intervals. I started to move towards a table with a peculiar looking object that was spinning around, when I heard a polite cough behind me. I jumped a bit, "Sorry Professor."

"That's alright Miss Greymann. Take a seat." Dumbledore motioned towards a cushioned chair that sat right in front of his desk.

"Yes sir."

"You're a demigod." He said simply as he lowered himself into his own chair.

My eyes widened in surprise. "What?" I said nervously. "No, that's absurd."

"No Miss Greymann, what's absurd is that it took me this long to figure it out. I daresay Severus figured it out before I did."

I stared at him for what seemed like forever."How do you know? About demigods I mean…" I asked hesitantly. When Dumbledore brought me into his office I hadn't been expecting this, anything but this. Hermes should have told me that night he brought the present from my father. Somebody should have told me.

Dumbledore chuckled good naturedly and looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Haven't you guessed already? I'm a demigod, a son of Hermes."

I paused. Hermes? He was Travis and Connor's half-brother, but about as unlike the two mischievous brothers as I thought possible. Travis and Connor were pranksters, they failed most of their classes at school, and thieves (but of course in a nice, charming way). Dumbledore was wise, a world renowned wizard, and the headmaster of a school. He was the person people like Connor and Travis were sent to when they were in trouble, not the person who got in trouble himself. I stared at him a little while longer. The longer I stared the more similarities I saw. Dumbledore's bright eyes glinted mischievously, and his face had the unmistakable elfish qualities that is often associated with children of Hermes. The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

"You don't believe me, and I don't really blame you. You are a daughter of Apollo, am I right?"

I nodded slowly. "How did you know that he was-"

"Your father? Well it was quite easy actually. Your necklace for one thing, is the symbol of Apollo, which to the trained eye is a dead giveaway. A few nights ago I found an arrow in the third floor corridor, yours no doubt. And Madame Pomfrey has talked to me about you, and the miraculous way that you have been able to heal people. It really wasn't that big of a mystery."

"Sh-she doesn't know about me, does she?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh no, of course not. Madame Pomfrey has no idea that you're a demigod. In fact, nobody here but Severus and I know, unless of course you have told anybody."

I shook my head. "No, I haven't. But who's Severus?"

"Professor Snape, Miss Greymann. He-"

"PROFESSOR SNAPE? Why would he know anything about any of this?" I exclaimed, but instantly noticed my rudeness and had the sense to shut up.

"Professor Snape is a demigod as well."

"Are we talking about the same person here? There is no way that _Snape_ could possibly be a demigod!"

"_Professor _Snape, Annie. But I can assure you that he is. He's a son of Nemesis, goddess of revenge."

I stared at him awhile longer, not fully believing him. Snape? A demigod? "Are there any other demigods here, sir?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes there is one other wizard that I know of who is a demigod." He paused for a moment, looking troubled, but I nodded to encourage him to go on. "Lord Voldemort is a son of Hades."

I shook my head. "But that's impossible! Hades is one of the Big Three! They made a vow not to have any more children!"

"Yes, but Lord Voldemort was born before that pact was made."

"Is that why he became so powerful? I mean, he killed so many people and he had a huge following. Did he even know who his real father was?"

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "I can assure you that he did, and he used that to his advantage. He was able to do things that the ordinary witch or wizard could only dream of. A son of one of the Elder gods is very powerful, and Lord Voldemort is very powerful."

"Is? Why do you say is? He's dead, isn't he?"

"No, Annie. I don't think he is. He disappeared, but he is not dead. I don't even think Lord Voldemort is even capable of that."

"But that's impossible. He can't live forever! Unless he made some kind of deal with his father or something."

"I don't know for sure how he managed to survive, but I do have a few theories."

"Will he ever come back?"

"I believe he will, Annie. Maybe not for a year, or ten, or maybe even one hundred, but one day he will and we all best be ready when that day comes."

"Do you think Hades will help him, come back I mean."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Gods don't take a part in their children's lives. Hades is no exception. But I'm sure you know that."

I nodded my head. Of course I knew that, every demigod who ever lived knew that. That's the reason Hermes delivered my father's gift and not my father himself. I saw the effects of it everywhere. All I had to do was walk into camp and see the angry and depressed looking kids who wondered daily why their parents hadn't even shown a sign of recognition.

Dumbledore sat in silence for a moment. "Well Annie, it is getting late. Poppy will get very angry with me if I keep you out much longer. You should head back to the hospital wing."

"Yes sir." I said getting up and absentmindedly rubbing my forehead which had begun to throb painfully. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Annie. And if for whatever reason you feel that you must talk to me, feel free to visit my office."

"I will do that sir."

**So, did you see that one coming? Tell me what you think in a review! Next chapter will be up in... I honestly don't know but soon!**


	12. Chapter 11: My Snakelike Visitors

**So I've gotten a bit faster at updating... kind of. This chapter was actually pretty fun to write and my goal to finish first year by the beginning of April has motivated me to write. But you know what motivates me even more? Reviews. So please review, whether it's a word or a page, just taking the time to do it makes my day. Anyway, happy reading!**

Chapter 11: My Snakelike Visitor

The next morning brought no relief to the pain that had started in my forehead last night, and as Madame Pomfrey changed the bandages that were wrapped around my head, she "tsked" loudly.

"Honestly Annie, what have you been doing? Your wound wasn't nearly this bad yesterday."

I looked down, feeling a little ashamed of myself. I had a feeling that my little trip last night had caused my wound to reopen and start to bleed again, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. I had learned so much due to my sneaking out. I wasn't alone at this school as the only demigod. In fact, there were two others. Two teachers who had to deal with the same things that I did.

Madame Pomfrey wrapped my bandage tighter than it needed to be around my head, which let me know that she was angry that I had dared to venture outside the hospital wing without her permission. "I'm just going to have to keep you here for another night and see how you are tomorrow. But I don't think you'll be getting out of here for quite some time."

I groaned loudly as I lay back down on my pillows. "Now I won't have any of that." She scolded. "This is for your own good."

"But what about school?"

"I've asked your friend Hermione to bring your homework up for you."

"And Harry's quidditch game!"

"That isn't until Saturday, and as long as you don't sneak out again you should be out by then."

"But I'm fine! Honestly!"

"Annie, you're wound reopened last night while you were out doing who knows what. If you don't rest you'll make it even worse, so just calm down. Besides, I think your friends are here."

I turned towards the door, and sure enough there was Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking in.

"Hey Annie!" Hermione said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

I groaned. "Not good. I just found out I have to stay longer than I thought."

"Will you be out by Saturday?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I should be, unless I sneak out again." Ron and Harry snorted jokingly while Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Annie! You have to be more careful in your condition!"

"Relax Hermione. I'm fine. I was just bored to tears in here and fancied a walk. That's all." I didn't want to tell them more. I could see Hermione telling me off if I told her I had disobeyed yet another rule and ventured into the Forbidden Forest, and they definitely didn't need to know that I had met Professor Dumbledore on my walk. "So Harry, how are practices?"

"They're fine. Wood's pushing us pretty hard though. We had to get up before dawn today to practice. He's insane."

I laughed softly. "Sounds like it. But at least you know you'll be good on Saturday."

Harry bit his lip nervously. "Yeah, I don't know. I've never played before, like in a real game, and it sounds like it'll be a lot different than practices."

I waved my hand dismissively. "You'll be brilliant Harry, I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right."

I smiled cockily. "I always am." Ron snorted indignantly and Hermione rolled her eyes. We sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Harry spoke up.

"There's something we need to talk to you about." He said quietly as he cast a nervous glance towards Madam Pomfrey who was busy straightening some of the beds on the opposite side of the Hospital Wing. The three of them leaned in closely as Harry began to speak. "We think Snape tried to get past that three- headed dog on Halloween."

My ears perked up suddenly. "Why?"

Ron sighed, exasperated. "The dog is guarding something, and Snape wants it! Didn't you listen at all when we first saw the thing?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I did, but why would Snape want it?"

"Well we haven't really worked that one out yet." Hermione admitted.

"It would help if we knew what the dog was guarding." I said. The three of them nodded in agreement, but before we could continue our conversation Madam Pomfrey came over to once again usher my friends out.

…

Luckily, early the next morning Madam Pomfrey informed me that I could leave, but only if I promised to not exert too much energy. Like that would happen. I hadn't worked on any of my homework while I was in the hospital room, so it was likely that I would be spending the majority of my Saturday morning in the library. After she changed my bandages, Madam Pomfrey sent me on my way.

I was pretty anxious about my ever growing stack of homework waiting for me, but I was desperate to procrastinate as long as possible, so I headed towards the forest. It had been almost a month since I had last talked to Travis and Connor, and since my last attempt to contact them failed I was eager to try again. This time I was pretty sure I knew where I was going, but I made note of all the landmarks I was passing just to be sure. I made it to the clearing in no time and quickly tossed my golden drachma into the mist.

"O goddess, accept my offering. Connor Stoll, Camp Half- Blood." The mist shimmered for a moment, and then an image of my two long time friends appeared. "Hey guys!" I greeted cheerfully.

Connor jumped and hid something behind his back, looking sheepish. Travis noticed his brother's predicament and greeted me on his behalf. "Hey An- HOLY HADES! What happened to you?"

I touched my bandages gingerly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I shook my head. "My lips are sealed. I just wanted to see how you guys were doing at camp."

Connor looked up, his momentary embarrassment forgotten. "They're great! Luke went out on a quest and since I'm the second oldest, I get to be the counselor while he's gone!"

"That's great Connor! But why did Luke get a quest?"

Connor shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, but he left a little over a week ago. To get some apples, or something like that."

"To get some apples? That doesn't seem like something Luke would want to do. Did he seem happy about it?"

It was Travis' turn to shrug his shoulders. "I don't know, but he seemed eager to get away from Camp."

"I wonder why that is…"

"I don't think it's anything to worry about. Luke'll be back before the winter solstice and things will return back to normal. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying being in charge."

"Well I'm glad you're happy." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"What's wrong with you? Are those two Weasley twins giving you trouble again? Because if they are, Connor and I will come up there to straighten them out." Travis said.

"No, I'm just a bit tired after being out of commission for a few days. But speaking of Fred and George, I need you to help me with something."

…

After about an hour of planning, I said my goodbyes to the two of them and made my way back up to the castle just in time to get an hour of homework in before heading down to the quidditch pitch. But I guess the Fates didn't want me to because just then Ron and Hermione came rushing through the portrait hole and to the chair I had settled into to start studying.

"Annie! Thank goodness we found you. We need your help making a banner for Harry!" Hermione said.

"I don't know Hermione; I have a lot of homework." I knew this argument would get her to leave me alone, but Ron had other ideas.

"Please, it's for Harry. He's really nervous about today." Great, guilt.

Knowing I would regret it later, I got up to follow Ron and Hermione to a table that sat situated in the corner of the Common Room where Dean, Seamus, and Neville were already waiting. I was given the task of helping Dean draw a giant Gryffindor lion, while the others spelt out _Potter for President_ in large flashing letters. Once it was finished we all stepped back to admire our handiwork.

"It looks fantastic!" I exclaimed.

"Wait! It's not done yet." Hermione said as she lifted her wand and muttered an incantation. Instantly, the large letters started to flash different colors.

"That's amazing Hermione! Where'd you learn to do that?" Ron asked as he admired the banner up close.

"It's just a spell I found in a book at the library, it was rather interesting actually. There were all these different charms-"

I cut her off. "Sounds great, but we better get going if we want to get good seats."

She looked a little surprised. "Oh, yeah. Of course."

When we got down to the quidditch pitch, the stands were already near full. Hermione, Ron, and I made our way up to the top of the stands with Neville, Dean, and Seamus close behind. We unfurled our banner and cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors as the team made its way onto the field. I spotted Harry almost instantly. He was behind a tall 5th year I knew to be Oliver Wood and carrying his new Nimbus over his shoulder. He was by far the smallest player on the field, but that of course could be to his advantage because I knew Harry could be fast when he tried.

And then they were off. Harry sped towards the opposite end of the pitch and began to circle the field, but I could tell he was rather distracted by what was going on in the field. "Chaser Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor has the quaffle! Take that Slytherin!" I heard Lee Jordan, the commentator, call out over the cheers, followed by a quick reprimanding by Professor McGonagall. I giggled quietly.

Suddenly I felt the wind whoosh over my head, causing me to jump slightly. I looked up to see a red and gold clad George Weasley grinning down at me as if he had made the world's funniest joke. I set my face in a scowl, even though I wasn't that angry. He laughed at my feeble attempt before rejoining the game.

Gryffindor was in the lead by about thirty points, turning my wannabe frown back into a smile. I may not understand this sport all that well, but quidditch was quickly becoming one of my favorite sports of all time. It was exhilarating watching the chasers maneuver their way through the players, dodging bludgers, and ultimately scoring a goal that made the crowd go wild. Not only that, but wondering when the seekers would finally find the snitch. Did Harry just spot it? The crowd waited with baited breath, but for what seemed rather pointless, as he had only momentarily lost control of his broom, causing him to speed off in the opposite direction. The crowd sighed in frustration, but I noticed something that no one else did. High above the stands, Harry was clinging onto his broom, knuckles white as he held on for dear life, his eyes widened in panic.

I nudged Ron hard in the ribs. "Bloody hell!" He exclaimed as he rubbed his side painfully. "What did you do that for?"

I ignored him. "Did you see Harry?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course. We all thought he saw the snitch but he didn't."

"No, I mean right now. He's lost control of his broom."

Ron looked up to where my finger was pointing and his eyes widened in shock. Harry was dangling from the tail end of his broom by one hand. He would never be able to hold on for long. It was only a matter of minutes before his fingers slipped and he fell hundreds of feet to his doom.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, panicking. "Why can't Harry hang onto his broom?"

"There's your answer. Look at Snape." Ron said as he pointed across the pitch at the teachers' stands. Snape was staring straight at Harry muttering under his breath, never once blinking.

"That looks a little suspicious." I joked halfheartedly. "But why would he want to hurt Harry."

"No time for questions now. We have to stop him." Hermione exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the steps. At the last second I reached out for Ron's hand and pulled him down with us.

"How do you plan to stop him Hermione?" Ron said, panting as he tried to keep up with us.

"We have to distract him." She exclaimed. "If he breaks eye contact, then Harry will be able to climb back on his broom."

"Well how do you suppose we distract him?" I asked curiously.

"I haven't figured that out yet." She admitted sheepishly, but I wasn't paying attention. I had just seen something that made my blood run cold. A scaly figure, partially hidden behind a tall host. Something about the figure made me uneasy, reminding me vaguely of a feeling I had felt before. Before this moment, I had pushed that memory as far away as I could, but this feeling brought it all back. Once again I was alone in a dark cave, knowing that something evil was there.

I hadn't even realized that I had stopped before Ron said, "Annie, hurry up!"

I snapped out of my reverie in an instant. "You two go ahead, there's something I have to do." I explained.

"But what about Harry?" Ron asked almost angrily.

"You two can handle it. I just have to do this."

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Hermione stopped him. "No time, let's go." I watched them dash towards the stand, before turning to make my way towards the figure.

As I got closer and closer I could tell that this was no ordinary figure belonging to the wizard world, this had to do with Camp. The creature was ancient, but whether it was a monster or a god it was too early to tell. I was almost there when I felt an arm, cold and scaly, close around my neck.

"She'ss a curiousss one, issn't she?" The voice asked in a hiss.

The figure behind the pillar laughed cruelly as she emerged from her hiding place. She was a woman, beautiful and evil. Her black hair fell in thick tendrils down her back. She was dressed in traditional Greek armor from the waist up, but on the bottom were two horrible scaly snake trunks.

"What are you?" I gasped, barely able to breathe due to the arm clamped tightly around my throat.

They both laughed. "We are the ssservants to our lord, reborn from the deepest pits of tartarusss. Zeuss casst us away, and until now we were trapped. But now we are free oncce more. Do you ssstill not know what we are? We are dracanae."

"But that's impossible. Dracanae were destroyed after the gods beat the titans."

"Timess are changing little hero, but our lord wants to make sure your not around to witnesss that."

"He thinks that he was mistaken about you. He should have destroyed you when he had the chance. He fears that you may become too powerful, both a witch and a demigod. But I think not. Pathetic, not even able to defeat a sssimple mountain troll. Neverthelessss, our lord hasss commanded it." She drew her sword that was dripping with a glowing green substance. Poison.

I had no time to react, I was still held captive by one of the dracanae. I knew that if even one of the swords touched my skin, I would be a goner. I racked my brain for some sort of move that would get me out of this mess, but nothing came to me. She was drawing closer and closer. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, bracing myself for death, but then I was released. So suddenly, that for a moment I was too stunned to move.

"What iss thisss?" The dracanae who had held me captive exclaimed as she clutched her hand which was glowing a bright red and covered in huge blisters. All of the symptoms seemed to point to a stinging hex Hermione had once told me about, but I had never tried to hex the dracanae. Could it be possible that I had simply performed accidental magic?

But I had no time to contemplate this, as the other dracanae was moving forward with a renewed vengeance. I twisted my necklace, and in less than a second I had released my arrow which sailed straight through her heart. She exploded in a thick cloud of yellow dust.

"My sssisster!"The other one yelled, her eyes turned to me in hate. "You will pay for thisss witch." She drew her sword and charged me, as I reached for another arrow, but my fingers were too clumsy. I was unable to aim with my shaking hands, and as a result my arrow sailed past the snake woman. She laughed, still advancing.

I grabbed another, but she was already there. "No fancy magic to get you out now is there?" And she raised her blade high above my head. I was going to die, there was no point denying it. The dracanae was right, I didn't know any spells that could get me out of this, and it was highly unlikely that I would get lucky twice.

"Expelliarmus!" The monster's sword flew out of her hand. Her moment of shock was all I needed to use the tip of my arrow to stab her, and just like her sister she exploded into a cloud of dust. Coughing and spluttering I emerged from the scene to face my savior.

"You are lucky I was here to save you Miss Greymann. Next time I would advise you to stay with the rest of the school." Snape said, his lips curling into a smug little smile.

"There's no rule saying that I have to attend quidditch games, Professor." I said, slightly angry.

His eyes were cold as they bore into mine. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek Greymann."

"Yes _sir._" I spat. He gave one last sneering smile before turning abruptly to walk back to the castle. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing when I noticed the back of his cloak smoking as if it had just been burned.


	13. Chapter 12: Winter Solstice

Chapter 12: The Winter Solstice

"It was Snape." Ron said without hesitation as we were walking back towards the castle with Hagrid. "Hermione and I saw him! He was the one cursing your broomstick Harry! It took some good spell work on Hermione's part to distract him."

"Was that why the back of his robes were smoking?" I asked, only half listening to the conversation. The truth was, my mind was preoccupied with other things, like why did the two dracanae (who were supposed to be extinct) suddenly appear at my school thousands of miles away from camp and their "master". Which raised another important question. Who was their master? They had said that he wanted me dead, before I became too powerful. And then a thought hit me like a freight train moving at one thousand miles per hour, and my blood ran cold through my veins. This seemed all too familiar. This was too much like the dream I had had over the summer, the voice that had warned me of the coming danger. These two experiences were connected, I knew that for sure.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid barked, dropping the bundle in his arms with a resounding _crash!_

"Fluffy? Hagrid, you named that thing?" Ron asked incredulously.

"O' course! He's mine, ain't he? Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year."

"You just bought a monster off a random stranger?" I asked appalled. " Hagrid! That's extremely dangerous! Especially for a monster like Cerberus!"

"Cerberus? I jus' told you the dog was named Fluffy!" Hagrid defended.

"I'm talking about the kind of monster he is! Cerberus is the dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld! There's a reason a job like that was given to him, the thing's vicious! And to have it, or any beast similar to it in a school is-"

Hagrid waved his hand dismissively. "Fluffy ain't dangerous. He's jus' been trained to guard the-"

Harry, Ron, Hermione and I looked up at him eagerly. "Yes?" Harry asked, egging him on.

"Nothing'. I shouldn't o' said that. That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it!" Hermione said anxiously.

"Rubbish." Hagrid said. "Dumbledore trusts Snape, you should too."

"Then why did he try to kill Harry?" Ron asked.

"I've read all about jinxes Hagrid! You've got to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking!" Hermione said.

Hagrid's cheeks were red with anger. "Yer wrong. Snape didn't do anything to Harry's broomstick. Yer meddlin' in things that ought not to be meddled in. Forget the dog and what it's guardin'. That's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Aha!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "So there's a Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

Later that night, the four of us sat down in the Great Hall, looking forward to a hot dinner. I had barely reached for a bit of roast beef when Hermione started talking. "Of course we're going to have to go to the library and look up this Flamel character, but it will be hard. We don't know what he did, so where could we look? And we can't possibly ask a teacher, their reaction would probably be very similar to Hagrid's. Notable Wizards of the 20th Century might be a good place to start…" It seemed that Harry and I were the only ones paring attention to Hermione's rambling, as Ron was too busy devouring his mound of mashed potatoes.

"What about old school records?" I supplied. "He probably went to Hogwarts, and if he did anything worth mentioning there has to be something about him."

"Good idea!" Hermione said as she bent down to retrieve a quill and piece of parchment from her bag to write it down.

"Antigone Greymann?" Asked a pompous voice from behind us. We all turned and stared into the face of none other than Percy Weasley.

"Call me Annie, please."

He puffed out his chest importantly. "I have a note to you from Professor Dumbledore. Her requests your presence at his office promptly at eight o' clock tonight."

Ron swallowed loudly. "What did you do Perce, read it?"

"Of course not!" He defended, but his pink ears gave him away. Ron raised one eyebrow teasingly, making Percy stomp away in a huff.

…

I don't know how I remembered the way to the headmaster's office, but I somehow managed it. At eight o' clock that night I found myself staring into the face of a stone gargoyle, trying desperately to recall exactly what the password was. It was something strange, something to do with sweets. I should've remembered it. After all, it was strange that I had remembered the entire route to his office, but was unable to remember the bloody password! I growled in frustration. Wasn't it just last week that Dumbledore had led me up here after catching me in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night? Of course at the time I had been absolutely terrified of being expelled.

I pulled the note that Percy had given me out of my pocket, still unopened. What was the point of opening it when Percy had told me everything I needed to know? But perhaps the note would shed some enlightenment on this situation. I stared at the letter, scrawled out in Dumbledore's hurried but still neat handwriting. And there it was, the answer to me predicament.

_P.S. Do you like Chocolate Frogs?_

"Chocolate Frogs." I told the gargoyle.

The statue nodded and started to twist upward, revealing the spiraling stone staircase. I stepped on tentatively and allowed myself to be brought up towards Professor Dumbledore's office. Once at the top I knocked quickly on the door.

"Come in Annie." Dumbledore said from what sounded like his desk in the back of the room. I turned the knob and entered, but the sight before me made me stomach drop. Dumbledore was not alone in his office. Snape stood next his desk, looking just as cold, dark, and greasy as ever. He smiled, or smirked more like. "Hello Greymann."

I nodded my head politely in their direction, determined not to give Snape the satisfaction of making me uncomfortable.

"Come sit down Annie." Dumbledore said kindly. "We have much to discuss with you."

I obliged, but not before saying. "If you don't mind me asking, what is _he _doing here?" I gestured to Snape who smiled, mocking me.

"Professor Dumbledore has found my presence relevant to this matter we are discussing with you. Now sit down!" I hurried to sit down as far away from Snape as possible without making it blatantly obvious as to what I was trying to do.

"Why did you want to see me Professor?" I asked once I had gotten settled.

"You are aware, I presume considering you were there, that two dracanae have penetrated the grounds of Hogwarts?"

"Yes sir." I said quietly. "They tried to kill me."

"Are you also aware that dracanae are supposed to be banished to the deepest pit of Tartarus?"

I nodded. "Something's happening Professor, at camp I mean. This is the second time this year that something like this has happened to me. Both times it felt like something was trying to keep me away from camp."

"You say this has happened twice?"

I nodded again. "Yes. Over the summer I had a dream. I was in a cave next to a deep pit. There was a voice telling me that things were about to change at camp, no, he said he was going to destroy it, and that if all goes according to plan it will be completely gone by next year."

Dumbledore leaned his head into one hand, thinking hard. But Snape looked wary. "Don't tell me you believe this nonsense! The girl just wants attention!"

"No! It's not like that. Please Professor, you have to believe me!" I said stubbornly. "This dream felt too real. You must know what dreams are for demigods! They're rarely just dreams. They're glimpses into the past, or the future, or messages, or all three! But they're never just dreams. I'm a daughter of Apollo, we're known for our gift in telling the future, and I know everything the voice said is going to happen will happen. I've just got this strong feeling." Snape snorted indigently. I stared at him, hating him with every fiber of my being.

"She's telling the truth Severus." Dumbledore said. Snape nodded towards him, defeated. So Dumbledore carried on. "And the dracanae said basically the same thing?"

"Yes. They said their master was returning and he gave them orders to kill me before I became too powerful."

"Too powerful? What kind of 'master' what be scared of an eleven year old demigod?" Snape said, still refusing to believe me.

"The kind that doesn't like magic. Annie is a witch too; he obviously doesn't want her to use magic against him. I wouldn't be surprised if we were in danger of attack too." Dumbledore explained. "Now Annie, I need you to contact camp immediately. Get all the information you can about what is happening, the report back to me or Professor Snape. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Then you are dismissed.

…

I didn't go into the forest that night to contact camp. It was too dark and the thought of venturing into the Forbidden Forrest alone right after I had been attacked by dracanae did not appeal to me at all. So I waited until the next morning to sneak out before everybody else woke up. I went straight to my secluded grove, by now knowing the path by heart. I threw my drachma into the mist.

"Connor!" I whispered loudly, not wanting to wake the other occupant's of his cabin who were no doubt still sleeping. "Connor!" I tried again, this time he woke up.

"Annie? What did you do that for? It's the middle of the night." He complained.

I waved my hand, dismissing him. "Oh, quit your crying if there's nothing to cry about. This is urgent."

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up straighter. "What is it?"

"Did anything happen at camp recently? Anything unusual?"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. Luke's been pretty moody lately, but I don't think that's the type of unusual you were talking about." He smiled at his feeble attempt at a joke, but I dismissed it.

"No, it's not. This is serious. I was attacked by two _dracanae _yesterday. They said that their master was-" I heard a distant bell ring from the direction of the castle. Styx, I have to go Connor. Class just started. Tell Chiron what I said!" I slashed my hand through the mist and sprinted to the dungeons.

"Late again Greymann?" Snape sneered. "That will be ten points from Gryffindor unless you can think of an expectable excuse for your tardiness."

I caught his eye, hoping he would understand what I was about to say. "I'm sorry Professor, but _all is well._"

…

The rest of November passed with little to no action. The chilly temperatures turned into a bitter cold as November turned into December, and with it a foot of snow. Harry, Ron, and Hermione occupied all their time trying to find Flamel, but to no avail. I helped them, but I couldn't deny that my heart wasn't in it. My encounter with the dracanae really shook me, even after learning that everything was alright at camp. But as the Christmas holidays drew ever closer, I started to forget the past and move on. Aunt Charlotte had sent me a letter a week before Christmas telling me that she had to work through Christmas and I wouldn't be able to come home. So that's how I found myself waking up alone in the first year girl's dormitory on Christmas morning.

I had woken up a little earlier than I would've liked, but it was Christmas after all. I spotted a good size pile of presents at the foot of my bed and got up to unwrap them eagerly. I hadn't expected to get hardly any presents. One from Aunt Charlotte, for sure, and maybe a couple from Camp, but there were still more. Much to my surprise, Mrs. Weasley had knitted me a sunny yellow sweater with a royal blue 'A' on it. I was touched by her gesture and promptly started unwrapping more presents. There was an expensive looking eagle feather quill from Hermione, a large bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Ron, and a book about magical creatures from Harry. Once I had finished opening them I leaned back against my pillows to munch on my candy, that is until I spied one more envelope still left unopened. I turned the bulging envelope over and caught a vial of a darkish red liquid. The vial had a note attached to it.

_Annie,_

_ Here's the centaur blood we talked about. We had dad send it over. Remember to only use a small amount, unless you really do want them to end up in the hospital wing. _

_Merry Christmas!_

_Travis and Connor_

_P.S. We suggest gloves._

A small but devious smile spread across my lips. Finally I would be able to get Fred and George back for their humiliating joke on my first night here. I pocketed the vial and slipped out of my dormitory and into Harry and Ron's.

Ron was alone in the dorm, his eyes transfixed on the mirror. "Feeling a bit narcissistic, are we?" I teased.

Ron blushed and looked away quickly. "No, I'm looking for Harry."

"Well he's not in the mirror."

"No, he's right behind you." I heard a familiar teasing voice say. I turned around expecting to see Harry but he wasn't there. Ron, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny _Ronald?_" I asked, using his full name in annoyance. He shook his head, still rolling on the bed laughing. A piece of parchment next to Ron's head caught my eye. I crossed the room and picked it up gingerly.

_ Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well._

_A very Merry Christmas to you._

"Time _what _was returned to you? Harry?" I looked around the room, hoping to find my friend, but he was still nowhere to be found.

"Yes?" Harry called back, his voice light and teasing.

"Show yourself." I demanded, by now figuring what the note had been talking about. And sure enough I saw Harry take off a cloak with a loud sigh.

"You ruin all the fun" he complained, though he was smiling like mad.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" I asked, my eyes round with wonder.

"Yeah." Harry confirmed. "It was my dad's."

I smiled. "Wicked."

Suddenly the door slammed open to reveal two sweater clad gingers. "Merry Christmas!" They called together in an identical singsong voice. The vial of centaur blood in my pocket felt ten times heavier.

I put on a cheery smile. "Merry Christmas to you too."

Fred faked a shocked expression. "What? No sarcasm? Are you sure this is the Annie we all know and love?"

"I don't know Fred. It's hard to tell beneath those puppy dog pajamas."

I blushed a deep red. "Shut it. My aunt gave these to me."

Fred wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Does she hate you?" He teased. Oh how I wanted to just dump the centaur blood on their faces, but I couldn't. This prank had to be played sneaky.

George noticed the tension in the room and changed the subject. "Hey look, Harry's got a Weasley sweater too!"

"Yours is better than ours though, she obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

I took this opportunity to slip out of the room unnoticed. First I stopped by my room to change out of my offensive pajamas and into my own Weasley sweater and jeans, and then I snuck up to the third year boy's dormitory. While Fred and George were otherwise occupied it was the perfect opportunity to exercise my plan. I scanned the room for a good article of clothing to use. Connor and Travis had said that gloves would work best, but after this morning I really wanted to make them squirm. I crossed over to their beds, the only ones that looked messed up, and picked up a pair of tighty whities. I smiled, that would be perfect, but really really mean.

"What do you think you're doing?" I nearly dropped both the vial and the underwear in surprise, causing the voice to laugh.

"Travis? Why are you IMing me?"

"Because, Connor told me that you were worried about Camp."

My heart sped up. "Has something happened?"

Travis shrugged. "We don't know for sure, but it seems like it." I nodded, urging him to continue. "Chiron seems worried, and the weather has been really weird."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been really stormy and the ocean looks like its throwing a fit."

"You don't think it has something to do with Zeus or Poseidon, do you?"

Travis shrugged. "It's possible, but I have to go. I'll keep you updated. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Just then I heard footsteps coming closer and closer to the closed door. Styx, I'm gonna have to be quick. I didn't have time to search for the underwear that I had dropped so I settled for the two pairs of identical knitted gloves.

"Who were you talking to?"

I swore under my breath and shoved the vial of centaur blood back into my pocket. "Talking? You must be mistaken George; I wasn't talking to anyone."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You sound pretty guilty to me."

"Oh shut up. I lost something and thought you two might've stolen it as a joke." I silently applauded my brilliant, and surprisingly believable, excuse.

George fake pouted. "I'm hurt Annie. I'm many things. I'm devilishly handsome, outrageously funny, not to mention sexy-" I rolled my eyes. "-but I am not a thief."

I gritted my teeth. "I know. I was wrong, so sorry."

"Good, so now I can invite you to come battle against Fred and I in the world's most intense snowball fight of all time."

I smiled widely and nodded. This was just too perfect. They were bound to bundle up in their coats, scarves, and most importantly, _gloves_, if we went outside. "Great. Sounds like fun."

George smiled back at me. "Nice sweater by the way."

…

Later that night, Fred and George were still scratching their hands relentlessly. About halfway though our snowball fight they had found their hands covered in bright red bumps and itching like crazy. They had gone to Madame Pomfrey who said it was nothing to be concerned about and sent them away. Ah, sweet revenge.

The only thing that had put a damper on my holiday cheer was the news of what was going on at Camp. I had tried to tell Dumbledore or Snape what was going on, but neither of them had been alone the entire night.

After being brutally beaten by Ron at a game of wizard's chess, I waved goodnight to my friends and went back to my dorm for some much needed sleep. But Harry had other ideas. Sometime in the middle of the night I woke to find both Harry and Ron standing above me.

"Annie! I have to show you something!" Harry said excitedly.

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No! It's my mum and dad! I saw them! You have to come see."

I yawned widely, defeated, and got out of bed. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

Harry led Ron and I through the castle, underneath his new invisibility cloak. For awhile I wondered if Harry really knew where was going, but he seemed pretty confident. After wandering for at least half an hour he led us into a room containing nothing but a mirror.

"Do you see them?" Harry asked hopefully, pointing towards the mirror. I shook my head, mystified by what was obviously a very powerful magical item.

"What about you Ron? Surely you seem them."

"I see myself." Ron said, shaking his head at Harry's question. "And I'm holding the quidditch cup, and blimey, I think I'm head boy! You don't suppose this mirror shows the future, do you?"

Harry's shoulders slumped. "How could it? Both my parents are dead. Let me have another look-"

"You had it all to yourself earlier, give me more time." Ron whined.

I was now suddenly very interested in what the mirror would show me. "I haven't even looked once! Let me see!" But Ron and Harry were too caught up in their argument to notice me. I took the opportunity to sneak in front of the two of them and look in the mirror. The sight it showed me was thrilling, but I had no idea why.

I was at camp, but all my school friends were there. I had just shot down a hellhound with a single arrow, my bow still clutched tightly in my hand. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and even Fred and George were there, all of them applauding my great feat. I had never once sought attention from my friends for stuff like that. But maybe that's not what the mirror was trying to show me. I kind of liked the idea of my friends knowing who I was. Just thinking about no longer having to hide anything made me smile. Still looking in the mirror, I was overcome with a dangerous desire to tell Ron and Harry who I really was.

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! I'm trying to decide whether or not I should write 2nd and 3rd year or just skip to 4th year. Nothing really big happens in those two years and I don't want this series to drag. If I skip to 4th year I'll be able to get to the good stuff quicker. So tell me if you think I should continue as planned or just skip to 4th year. Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 13: To Tell or Not to Tell

Chapter 13: To Tell or Not to Tell

That night as I tried to go to sleep I found it increasingly hard. I was terrified of that mirror. What kind of horrible magic would compel me to do something so reckless? Why, for even just one second, had I thought to let go of my secret. Rational me knew how dangerous that was. Not only would I risk getting in trouble at camp, or being called a liar by my friends, but everybody else would be in trouble too. Horrible things happened to mortals who were thrust into our world. That's the reason we have the mist. If I told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that I was a demigod, they would be in danger of attack. The gods didn't like for mortals to know. But irrational me didn't care. There would be no more lies. I could be open and carefree, the weight of keeping a secret off my back. NO! I couldn't think about that! It's much too dangerous! The secret is for their own good.

I tossed and turned, unable to close my eyes, for fear of the returning nightmare that the mirror had shown me. It was lucky that I was alone in my dormitory or else I might have spoken. Stupid Harry showing me that stupid mirror. I was perfectly fine never seeing how great my life would be if I told.

Morning could come soon enough, so when the first ray of sunlight peaked through my curtained window I got out of bed, threw on some warm clothes, and left through the portrait hole. After being there a couple of times already, the way to Dumbledore's office was practically memorized. After telling the gargoyle the password and climbing the spiral staircase, I knocked hard on the door. I heard someone moving about before finally coming to open the door. I took a small step back in surprise.

"Professor McGonagall? What are you doing here?" I asked, only afterwards noting the rudeness in my question.

"Professor Dumbledore and I were just discussing…never you mind. I think the better question would be, Miss Greymann, what are you doing here?"

Her stare made me slightly uncomfortable. "I just had to, um, tell Professor Dumbledore…something."

She raised an eyebrow, probably thinking from my poorly delivered excuse that I was lying. "Really? And what was so important that you just had to rush over here at the crack of dawn to tell him?"

I gulped, no getting out of this one. "I, well, Professor Dumbledore , no, I had to, um…"

"I hope you understand, Miss Greymann, that Professor Dumbledore is very busy and cannot be bothered with students visiting him for no apparent reason, other than idle chit chat."

"Minerva, it's quite alright. I told Annie to come see me." Dumbledore daid, joining us at the door.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but McGonagall looked a little put out. "Are you sure Albus?"

He nodded, his blue eyes twinkling. "And if you don't mind, this matter must be discussed privately."

She nodded and stepped out, but I could tell she was annoyed.

"Please sit down Annie." I stepped into his office and took my usual seat across from him at his desk. "And if you don't mind me asking, what did you need to tell me?"

There were two things, but I wasn't entirely sure if I could say one of them. If I told Dumbledore about my desire to tell my friends about being a demigod, I would risk getting us in trouble for sneaking out past curfew. But there was still one other thing that was safe to say. "Something happened at camp. Yesterday, Travis IMed me and said that the weather's been odd, like the ocean is trying to fight the sky. We suspect it has something to do with Zeus and Poseidon. Even Chiron is worried."

"Do you think it has anything to do with your dream?"

"It has _everything _to do with it! I've known something was off at camp for a while. But I also know that the dracanae are also connected. But neither Zeus or Poseidon can 'come back', that's what I don't understand."

"I think there's more to the story than we realize."

"You have to have some idea of what is going on."

"It's important to remember that I am only human. It is impossible for me to know everything. The only thing I am sure of is that this is something bigger than two demigods could ever figure out. The fates will decide what happens now."

"So you're saying we just can't do anything?"  
"No, I'm saying that we are, at this moment, incapable of doing anything. But was this all you wanted to talk about?"

I thought for a moment before answering. How could I put this? It's not like I could say, "Her Professor, wanna hear something funny? Harry got an invisibility cloak for Christmas and we used it to sneak out past curfew, and then we found this mirror that was probably supposed to be kept hidden, but whatever. And that's not even the funny part! When I looked in it, I didn't see my reflection. I saw myself telling everybody that I am a demigod. And that really made me want to actually spill the beans. Isn't that just the weirdest thing?" Yeah, not gonna happen. So instead I said, "Would it be dangerous to tell my friends that I am a demigod?"

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "I figured you would ask this question eventually, but I cannot answer. Do you trust your friends?"  
"With my life, but that's not the question."

"Ah, but you're missing my point. If you trust your friends you should find the decision very easy to make."

"But what if they get hurt?"

"Annie, do you honestly believe that the gods would kill a few mortals simply for knowing about them? They have far better things to occupy their minds."

"I guess you're right, but-"

"I can neither tell you to 'spill the beans' nor tell you not to, but the thing you must understand is, you cannot keep a secret this bug forever. Eventually they will find out. Would you rather that happen on your own terms or on someone else's?"

Although the answer seemed obvious, it took me a minute to think. It would be so easy to just let Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out for themselves, but then what kind of friend would I be? Instead of giving me answers as I had hoped, my visit with Dumbledore left me more confused than ever.

…

The cold of winter eventually faded away to a cheerful spring. The Hogwarts ground, once covered in a thick blanket of snow, were now green as they had been at the beginning of the year. It was May and I still hadn't worked up the courage to tell my friends my secret. I was a coward, and I knew it. Maybe I had stood up to dozens of monsters, but the thought of losing some of my best friends was infinitely worse. But it wasn't just my cowardice that kept me from telling them. As soon as she had gotten home from winter break, Hermione had pestered Harry, Ron, and I to study for exams. At the time we has just shrugged her off, the exams were still months away. But they suddenly seemed so much closer on this side of Easter Break, and I was cramming. This left me absolutely no time to even think about telling them.

Besides my ever growing nervousness of speaking, we had also thrown ourselves into discussing our various theories about Snape. The other three were completely convinced that Snape was guilty, but I was wary. I had seen how much Dumbledore trusted Snape, and I trusted Dumbledore's judgment. But as the evidence started piling up, I was forced to give up that notion. After one quidditch match, Harry had seen Snape threatening Quirrell about the protection of the stone.

Things were also getting increasingly bad at camp. I was now visiting Dumbledore's office practically every night, bearing even more bad news. The storms are getting worse, more monsters had been spotted near camp, another half-blood had disappeared. The list went on and on. I tried to keep myself from getting too worried, but that was nearly impossible. I think Hermione suspected something was up, but I couldn't tell.

With all that combined, it's easy to see why the dragon broke me. It had been a rather pleasant day, and the four of us had all wanted to go visit Hagrid. When we knocked on the door late in the afternoon, all of the curtains were drawn tightly shut. This was the first strange thing we noticed.

Hagrid called from inside the hut, "Who is it?" to which Harry replied, "It's us!" Hagrid opened the door quickly, pulled us in, and slammed to door shut. I wondered briefly why he hadn't kept it open, as the temperature had to be well over what should be considered comfortable. I glanced over toward the fireplace and noticed, even though it was a very warm day, a crackling fire.

Immediately the gang had started in on their usual interrogation about the stone. Today we were asking what else besides Fluffy was guarding it.

"Couldn't tell ya if I knew meself." Hagrid told us. "Besides, yeh know too much already. The stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts- I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even knew about Fluffy."

Hermione smiled, a warm flattering kind of smile. "But you've got to know something. You know everything there is to know about Hogwarts. Could you at least tell us who else is guarding the stone?" What a suck up…

"Well, I s'ppose. Dumbledore borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did the enchantments- Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Quirrell. An' Dumbledore did somethin' himself, o' course. Oh, an' Professor Snape."

"_Snape?"_ I questioned before I could stop myself, but I knew the others were thinking the eact same thing. How easy would it be for Snape to steal the stone now? If he had helped protect it, then he must know what other enchantments are guarding it.

"Yeah, Snape. Yer not still on about that, are yeh? Listen, Snape's a teacher an' if Dumbledore trusts him, then so do I." I could see Hagrid getting angrier and didn't push the subject and longer.

"Hagrid, can we open a window or something? It's stifling in here."

"Can' Harry, sorry." He glanced toward the fireplace as he said that.

"What _is _that?" Hermione asked as she too had noticed his glance.

"Blimey! That's a dragon's egg! Where'd you get it?" Ron asked incredulously

"Won it las' night in a pub. Some strange bloke I was havin drinks with wanted to play cards. He was quite glad ter get rid of it, though I can't imagine why."

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house. Dragons breath fire." I warned, glancing warily at the egg. But he wasn't listening. Hagrid was too busy humming merrily to himself as he stroked the egg lovingly. Great, just what I needed, another thing to worry about.

Within a week the beast had hatched. Even though I knew how dangerous that Norwegian Ridgeback was, I had to admit that it was kind of cute. Hagrid named it Norbert.

But Norbert was wild. Every time we saw Hagrid he was sporting a new burn or claw mark. "Aw, don' worry bout me. Norbert's jus' a baby. He'll grow outta it." Eventually we had convinced Ron to send a letter to his brother Charlie asking, no begging, him to take Norbert. Within a couple of days Charlie's letter returned with good news. He was going to take Norbert off our hands.

The morning we were supposed to get rid of it, Ron and I woke to find our hands that Norbert had "playfully" bitten on a previous visit, swollen , aching, and turning a sickly greenish color. "That thing has got to be poisonous." I concluded as U examined my hand closely. "We should probably go see Madam Pomfrey."Ron agreed grudgingly and followed me up the stairs to the Hospital Wing while Harry and Hermione went to class.

"Annie! What happened to your hand?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as we entered the not so crowded infirmary.

"Oh, um, potions…accidents." I covered. It's not like I could tell her about Norbert. If she found out Hagrid would be in huge trouble for harboring an illegal dragon in his hut.

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief but didn't say anything about it, much to my relief. "What in Merlin's name were you making?"

"A sleeping potion… I think. Ron must've added to much of something and his cauldron just exploded."

"I did n-" Ron started to protest, but I shot him a menacing "shut up" look.

Madam Pomfrey seemed to notice him for the first time. "You too? Very well, just lay down over there and I'll whip up something for the pain."

So once again I found myself stuck in the hospital wing and unable to get out, but at least this time I would have somebody with me. About an hour after Ron and I had settled in, Draco Malfoy strolled into the room. He drawled on about something ridiculous like borrowing a book from Ron, but all he did was laugh, take a book and leave.

"Nasty git." I heard Ron mutter as Draco walked away.

"At the end of the day Harry and Hermione came to see us. The potion Madam Pomfrey gave us earlier to numb the pain had since worn off and we were both in a lot of pain. "It's not just my hand," Ron complained. "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy came up to 'borrow one of my books' but he just wanted to laugh at us."

"Did you tell Madam Pomfrey what bit you?" Hermione asked nervously.

I shook my head. "I told her it was a potions accident, but I'm not entirely sure she believed me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yeah, a potions accident that leaves death marks."

"Well it was the first thing I could think of!"

"At least this will all be over tonight." Harry said.

Ron suddenly sat straight up, a frantic look on his face." Tonight! Oh no, I just remembered. Charlie's letter was in the book Malfoy took!"

But Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer, because Madame Pomfrey chose that moment to come over and shoo them out.

Ron and I stayed up late that night, hoping Harry and Hermione would come bring us news of a successful send off. We both knew it was just wishful thinking. They would never risk getting caught just to sneak into the hospital wing.

"They'll be fine." I whispered, mostly to myself.

"But what if they get caught?" Ron whispered back.

"They have the invisibility cloack."

"But they can't keep that on the whole time!"

This statement kept me thinking for the rest of that fitful night. Ron was right, as negative as he was , it would be a miracle if they came out of this unscathed.

This turned out to be one hundred percent true. The next morning, a Saturday, Harry and Hermione rushed to see us. Hermione looked tearful, but Harry looked immensely relieved.

"What happened?" Ron and I asked in unison.

Hermione let out a huge sigh and plopped down on the edge of my bed. "We got caught."

"You didn't!" I said, absolutly shocked.

Harry nodded. "But not with the dragon. McGonagall caught us on our way back."

"Well that's a relief." Ron said. "What did she do to you?"

"She gave us a detention." Hermione whispered, burying her face in her hands,

"Well that's not so bad. Compared to what could've happened, I'd say that's pretty good!" I said as I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"I s-suppose you're right." She sniffled.

` "When is it?" Ron asked Harry.

He shrugged. "Don't know. She'll tell us later.:

…

Ron and I were released the next day. Madam Pomfrey had simply wrapped our hand in a bandage and sent us on our way. I could tell she was frustrated that we had neglected to tell her that truth about what had happened, and as a result she couldn't heal us properly. Harry and Hermione didn't seem to cheery when we returned. Their detention was later that night in the Forbidden Forrest. This left Ron and I by ourselves in the common room.

"I feel so guilty, like we should be out there with them." I groaned as I moved my chess piece across the board half- heartedly. "Check."

"It's not our fault. If we're putting the blame on anyone it has to be that bloody dragon." Ron muttered as he too moved his piece across the board. "Check mate."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Can't we do something that I actually stand a chance at?"

"We could always study."

"Ugh, no thanks Hermione."

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed, his ears turning red. "I'm not like Hermione!"

I giggled. "Why are you yelling like that? Is being Hermione really such a bad thing?"

"It's not , it's just…"

I giggled some more as Ron continued to search desperately for something to say. As I laughed I noticed something start to flicker before revealing the image of my two camp friends.

Oh Styx. What did they think they were doing? Didn't they know how dangerous it was to just randomly IM someone that you knew was around mortals? Those idiots…

"Annie, what are you looking at?" Ron asked as he started to turn around.

"No! Stop!" But it was too late, he had turned all the way around and was looking into the eyes of Connor and Travis Stoll.

They both blinked in surprise, as if the thought that their IM might be seen by mortals had never crossed their minds. Before I could stop myself, I was yelling. "What ever gave you the idea to just IM out of the blue? You knew I lived with mortals, and now you've done it! There's a reason we have the mist! You can't just go around revealing everything to every little stranger that you happen to come by! Gods, you two are so..."

"We're sorry!" Travis started, but Ron interrupted.

"Who are they?"

"He can see us?" Connor asked, obviously think that the mist distorted what Ron was seeing, but I knew better. Ever since the night we saw Fluffy I knew something was up. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville had all seen my bow and arrow. This meant that unless the mist was altered in some way, they were able to see through it clear as day.

This explained why Ron stared at Connor as if he had two heads. "Of course I can see you! I'm not blind!"

"But do you really see us, or just some warped version of us that your mind can easily understand."

Ron looked horribly offended, as I threw my hands up in annoyance. "He can see through the mist you idiots!"

Travis and Connor look at each other, their mouth's in perfect "o"s . "We'll, uh, just be going then." Travis said.

I sighed, "Don't bother, the damage is done. What was so important that you just had to expose our entire world to an innocent mortal."

"Well," Travis said." We think we know the reason for all the craziness at camp."

"You think? You foolishly IMed for a hunch?"

"But it's a really good hunch! Something's been stolen!" Connor defended.

"We overheard Chiron telling Dionysus that he only has until the winter solstice to give it back," Connor continued.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive." They said together.

"Well thanks. Now I have to do damage control."

Connor gave me a weak half- smile. "Sorry 'bout that."

I rolled my eyes and swiped through the image, making it disappear.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked angrily, gesturing wildly towards where Travis and Connor had been moments before.

I sighed, preparing myself for a hard explanation. I had been planning on telling Ron eventually, so now seemed as good a time as any. "That was an Iris Message."

"A _what?_"

"Iris is the goddess of rainbows and messages. She'll usually let demigods communicate through what we like to call an Iris Message."

"Demigod? You don't mean…"

"Yes, I'm a demigod. My dad is Apollo."

"But that's not possible. He was a Greek god, just some made up story."

"No, he's real. All of the Olympians are. They live above the Empire State Building in New York City."

"But that's in America. What happened to Mount Olympus?"

"It moved. As civilization spread west, so did the Olympians. They moved to wherever the heart of the west was."

"But that makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense! The Greek gods are alive, and one of them is my father!"

"You're mental."

"Ron, just think about it. When Neville fell at the beginning of the year, who saved him?"

"You did. But you said yourself that you learned it through a book!"

"I was lying through my teeth." I explained. "And then there's this. My father gave it to me." I held up my sun necklace and twisted the center stone. I felt the familiar sensation of necklace turning to bow and glanced at Ron.

"How'd you do that? McGonagall hasn't taught us anything like that!"

"I didn't do anything! It's just the necklace. It was a gift from my father. He was a great archer, you know."

Ron seemed to accept this. "So what happens if I choose to believe this rubbish?"

"So you believe me then?"

He sighed, but I could tell he was giving in. "I suppose you haven't give me any reason not to."

**Don't be mad at me. I've decided that I probably won't write the next chapter of 1st year, but it's not like you don't know what happens. I've already started writing fourth year and am pretty far into the first chapter, so expect an update soon. I'm sorry I didn't upload this earlier, I've actually had it written for a week, it just took forever to type and I was really busy. Stay tuned for fourth year...**


	15. Year 4 Chapter 1: Numb

**Sorry about the month long wait for the next chapter, but I have been SUPER busy this month. Besides it being production week for the musical I'm doing, all of my teachers decided to give out insanely large projects. My geometry homework alone this month has kept me up way too late (A 7 page paper about freakin' shapes, a model of something that relates geometry to something your "passionate" about, a 10 minute speech, and something to help present it with, like a powerpoint or a glogster. And that's not to mention the stupid goat problem that I worked on for two hours every night for two weeks and barely finished on time. And I also had to study for EOCs and countless other tests. Hopefully next month won't be as busy and I can update more frequently, but I'm starting a new youtube channel with some of my friends (like fiveawesomegirls and vlogbrothers) and might be kinda busy with that, but don't worry, this story is far from abandoned. I'm really sorry about how, well, depressing this chapter is. This is the main summary chapter and a lot of crap happened to Annie in the last couple of years at camp, so you can't blame her for that. As always, review and I'll post a new chapter soon.**

Chapter 1: Numb

I limped through the threshold of my aunt's front door and entered the familiar foyer. My trunk was being dragged clumsily behind me. It had been a week, and yet the pain was still fresh, that is, if you could still call it pain. This feeling, whatever it was, had been pulled around with me ever since the battle, a constant burden that served as a reminder of what had happened. But if you feel a pain like this for so long, it can no longer be felt as pain. No, this was an all consuming numbness. How else are you supposed to feel when your brother dies?

Official cause of death? Trampled by a Cyclops. Ever since Lee Fletcher, a fellow child of Apollo, had died it was like a dark cloud had descended on our cabin. Apollo's cabin had once been a very cheerful, very fun place, but now any thought of it reminded me of Lee and all around depressed me. In fact, I was fairly certain that Lee's bunk remained untouched, still rumpled as if he had just woken up and left for a little bit. Of course, that implied that he was coming back, but he most certainly wasn't.

Lee wasn't the only one who had fallen to one of Kronos' followers. Castor, a son of Dionysus, had died fighting an enemy half- blood. I hadn't known him all that well, but his death shook me. It seemed like everybody's lives at camp were now a ticking time bomb. There was once a time that I thought I had my whole life ahead of me, but now I was certain that wouldn't be the case.

Deaths weren't the only thing keeping me in my recent bout of depression. The thing that was almost constantly on my mind was what this battle meant. Dumbledore had been right when he told me three years ago that bad things were about to happen. The scariest part was, the bad things had only just begun.

…

Going to Camp Half- Blood had been different this year. The growing tension was now obvious on the faces' of all the campers. As usual I had gotten there about a month after the typical camper due to the fact that my school stayed in session much longer than my friends. By the time I had gotten there Percy, Annabeth , Grover, and Tyson the Cyclops had all left on a quest into the Labyrinth.

The summer after my first year was when I met Percy Jackson, a scrawny black- haired, green – eyed son of Poseidon. He was already something of a legend at camp by the time I arrived having already saved Zeus' lightning bolt, and ultimately, the world. I found him on the beach looking out on the Long Island Sound late one night on my now nightly midnight stroll. We hit it off immediately and became close friends, but I'm getting sidetracked.

From the second I arrived, we were preparing for battle. There was always at least one cabin guarding the entrance to Zeus' Fist (which I immediately learned was actually the entrance to the Labyrinth). But nothing happened until the very end of July.

The entire camp was helping out and creating one of the largest military operations I had ever seen. Athena's kids had set up a tent near the circle of cabins for strategy. Hephaestus' kids set up booby traps around Zeus' Fist. While I followed my cabin to our designated archery position. I had lost both Connor and Travis earlier that day and was busy searching the crowd of armor – clad campers when all hell broke loose.

A swarm of Laistrygonian giants exploded out of the labyrinth. I gave up on my search and instead focused my energy on readying my bow,

"Fire!" Michael Yew, our cabin's counselor, had yelled. All at once we let our arrows fly, each one soaring expertly through the air. But only one giant went down. There were too many and we were surrounded. All of the campers were fighting now, right down to the children of Aphrodite.

I don't know when I decided to join the battle with my sword, but it was probably once the second swarm of Kronos' army burst out of the Labyrinth and our arrows were practically useless. I ran towards the worst part of the fighting, but Michael called me back. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I have to fight!"

"You are fighting! We can't afford to lose any more archers!"

"This isn't working! Our arrows aren't taking down enough monsters and the rest of camp is getting slaughtered!"

Michael was about to yell back, but stopped himself, most likely thinking that his energy could be better spent doing something more useful than arguing with me. I returned to my sprint towards the battle and noticed somebody running beside me. It was Lee Fletcher.

It wasn't long before we were intercepted by one of the few Laistrygonian giants that had manage to survive since the beginning of the battle. He was a hard fighter, which was obvious within the first few seconds. Even though neither Lee nor I were confident with a sword, we still managed to bring down the giant somewhat easily. Then we broke up.

It's hard to say what happened next, it all happened so fast. Monster after monster attacked. One hellhound managed to push me onto my back with its giant paw. The force of the impact knocked the wind right out of me. I could feel blood oozing from the scratch on my arm where one of its claws had been. It growled menacingly as it barred its teeth and lunged straight for my neck. This would have been fatal had Percy not stepped in at that moment and stabbed the beast with Riptide. The monster disintegrated into yellow dust.

"Are you OK?" Percy asked, holding out his hand to help me up.

"Great. I've faced worse."

Percy laughed nervously. "Haven't we all? But please don't do that again, you scared me."

"I can take care of myself, Percy." I said, annoyed because he was treating me like I was some sort of damsel in distress. Who was he to understand what I could and couldn't do? He wasn't the one that had solved the mystery of the Sorcerer's Stone and helped save it. He wasn't the one that had walked to his death by entering a chamber where a known basilisk was but managed to survive against all odds. And he most certainly wasn't the one who had been face to face with a known mass murderer, nearly attacked by a werewolf, went back in time, and managed to save said mass murder from a death sentence. But I couldn't say any of that. Percy didn't, no couldn't, know about any of that. It was much easier to tell my school friends that I was a demigod, than it was to tell my camp friends that I was a witch. For one thing, when I told my school friends about my parentage I didn't think I would have the Ministry of Magic ready to expel me for breaking the Statute of Secrecy. They were now just in danger of being killed by numerous monsters… But it's not like I wanted to tell them, even though I did, but they found out themselves. There's no going back once they find out something like that.

"No need to get snippy with me." Percy defended. "I just saved your life."

"Yeah? Well-" A blur of something green and scaly passed behind Percy. I drew my sword and thrust it in that direction causing Percy to step back in shock.

"You tried to kill me!"

"No, I just saved your life." I said as I pointed towards the pile of yellow dust that had once been a murderous dracaenae. "Now we're even."

Percy smiled weakly. "Well then, thanks."

Annabeth suddenly appeared out of the crowd of fighting campers. "What are you two doing? You're going to get yourselves killed!"

Percy and I looked at each other and smiled genuinely. "Yeah, we realized that." I said giggling.

"Well then move! Seriously you two are- Oh my gods! Annie!"

A blow to the back of my head knocked me forward. My eyesight grew fuzzy but I willed myself to remain conscious. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head cautiously. I could feel my curly brown hair was sticky with blood. I don't know how I managed to do it, but I stood up just in time to see Percy and Annabeth finishing off a Cyclops. It wasn't until later that I realized this was the Cyclops that had killed my brother. His blood was still on his hands.

"Di immortales! Are you alright?" Annabeth asked, examining my head were the Cyclops' fist had impacted it.

"I'll manage."

"How come when Annabeth asks it's all 'I'll manage' but when I ask it's all 'I can take care of myself'."

Annabeth laughed, but I shook my head. "No time to answer. Annabeth's right, we've been standing around way too long."

The ground shook beneath us and the most horrible thing erupted out of the Labyrinth. It was huge, green, and had two massive bat like wings. There was a belt of ferocious animal heads around her waist, and she carried a ball of string in one hand and a sword dripping with something green and toxic. Poison. As I watched, she put the string into a lion's mouth around her waist.

"Kampê!" Percy said and took off running towards the monster. Annabeth and I followed, though I ran much slower due to my recent injuries.

She was ferocious. Although I didn't know who Kampê even was, as Annabeth and Percy obviously did, I wanted her to be dead and gone. There was something so horrible about her, something even more terrifying than what you saw at first. Her sword swung towards us, nearly taking me out. I retaliated with a stab of my own, but instead of disintegrating like I'd hoped, she simply howled in pain and fought harder. An arrow flew through the air and landed in her stomach. I turned to see who it was and felt the most intense pain I had ever felt before in my life. It was as if my bones had turned to dust and my organs had spontaneously burst into flames. I dared to look down at my arm and gagged at the sight. My left forearm was split open, so deep that I was certain that it was straight to the bone. The skin around it had turned a sickly shade of green and blood was gushing out. I felt my knees grow weak and I fell to the ground.

I would've been a goner if I hadn't heard the most horrible noise I had ever heard in my life. The ground shook as half- bloods and monsters alike started to retreat towards Zeus' Fist. Something told me that the battle was over, and with that thought I allowed myself to succumb to the darkness.

…

I woke up in the makeshift infirmary that my fellow children of Apollo had set up near the Big House. The place was packed, but not with healers. There were only a few people who had escaped the battle completely unscathed, and even fewer than knew how to heal somebody. I'd say there couldn't be more than ten healers to the fifty that were wounded.

My head was throbbing, but that was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling in my arm, which was now in a sling. I dared to look down at it. The cut was still there, just as bold and fresh looking as it had been the day I had gotten it, except now it was oozing some sort of sick green pus. The edges of the wound were tinted green as well. There was no way that thing was ever going away. I was a good healer, so I knew about cuts. I suspected that the blade that gave this to me was poisonous, and as a result the wound would never heal properly.

"That's a pretty gruesome face you have there."

The sound of Connor's voice startled me, causing me to jump and send a stinging sensation throughout my entire body. Up until this point I hadn't realized that I wasn't alone. "What do you mean?"

"That scar. It looks like it hurt."

I reached my hand up to my face and felt a long bump that spread from the middle of my cheek to just above my eyebrow. Think Scar from the Lion King. I shuddered, comparing myself to Disney villains. That Cyclops must've hit me harder than I thought. Connor, however, was right; I must look horrible. But I couldn't remember ever getting a blow to my face. Something must have happened after I passed out. Either that or the battle had just been so intense that I hadn't noticed something scratch my face. Now I had two scars, just from one short battle.

"Not that I mind or anything. I like it. I mean, you have always been pretty, but now you look…braver? Yeah that must be it. You look braver."

He was rambling, obviously nervous about something. Still, I couldn't deny the way his words had made me feel. Something had changed between us this summer. Instead of joking around and treating me like just one of the guys, Connor now blushed and looked nervous. This caused an avalanche of teasing from the girls in Aphrodite's cabin. Despite this I still managed to mumble a small, "Thanks."

Connor looked completely embarrassed as he probably noticed that he had been rambling. I looked at him, expecting him to say something but he never did. Eventually I broke the awkward silence that we had fallen into. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

He looked immensely relieved."A lot of people are pretty banged up, but they're okay for the most part."

"Well at least they are all alive."

His face twisted into a confused expression, then set his eyes on me as if he pitied me. "Not everyone made it Annie."

The familiar tingling sensation that occurred whenever something horrible was about to ran through my body. I held my breath, almost afraid to ask what was on my mind, but I was a Gryffindor. We were known for being brave. "Who?" I whispered.

Connor's eyes were soft, instilling even more fear into my heart. "Lee didn't make it. A Cyclops got to him. We tried to save him. Everybody from your cabin worked day and night to help, but they couldn't. I'm sorry."

I leaned back deep into my pillows, willing myself not to cry. The pain in my head and arm now seemed insignificant. I felt selfish for even thinking about it. Things could've been so much worse and I was lucky to be alive. Lee was a really great friend and brother. This moment now became the most memorable part of camp that summer, but for all the wrong reasons.

After a week of suffering through a memorial service for my dead brother and rebuilding the camp, I IMed my aunt and asked her to pick me up. She lovingly obliged. Luckily, she didn't ask many questions. And now here I was, standing alone in the foyer. My aunt was somewhere in the kitchen. She was most likely making some sort of "welcome home" meal, or maybe it was more of a "get well soon" meal. Either one seemed plausible.

I dropped my trunk off at the bottom of the stairs and hobbled over to the couch where I was greeted by Alice, our cat. She purred contently and laid her head down on my wounded arm. I flinched on contact. "Hey Alice, long time no see." I said as I patted her gently behind the ear. "Where's Cheryl?" Alice cocked her head to the side as if to ask why I would dare care about Cheryl when a perfectly good cat was right there.

"Annie, can you come in the kitchen?" Aunt Charlotte called. I sighed as I got up slowly and made my way across the room. My aunt had set the table with enough food to feed an army.

"What's all this for?" I asked as I took my usual spot across from her.

"Well I'm sure you're feeling upset right now, and I just wanted to make you feel better."

I smiled sadly. "Thanks, but it's going to take more than food to make me feel better."

"Annie, I know it has been hard on you, but you have got to stop pushing people away. Would it help if you talked about it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Surely there is-"

"NO! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO!" I yelled, seething as I stabbed a piece of broccoli and chewed it angrily.

Aunt Charlotte didn't flinch. Over the past couple of years she had seen me become more and more stressed due to the increasing tension at camp. I guess she thought I had finally snapped.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, feeling bad about yelling. It wasn't fair to take my anger out on somebody who had nothing to do with it.

"I'm sorry too. I know I'm just a mortal and I can't help, but I want to try. We used to be so close before all this started. Now you're going to Hogwarts and you're fighting a war! I can't help you and I'm sorry. But there's something I need to talk about."

"What?"

"I'm going to be leaving soon. I got a job offer in Germany for six months. It was all settled before I even knew what happened with you, and I wanted to go back on it, but-"

"No. Go, it's fine." I said, cutting my aunt off. "I don't care."

"I don't want to leave you like this. I talked to Molly and she said you could stay with them for the rest of the summer, but I still feel so bad."

"It's fine. Really Aunt Charlotte, don't let me hold you back."

"Are you sure? If you want me to stay…"

"Go, it's a great opportunity." I said.

"Well, then you should get ready to go to the Burrow tomorrow morning. Arthur said he would get the Ministry to hook up our house to the Floo Network from nine to ten."

"Alright, well I'm still packed so I guess I'll just go to bed. I'm pretty tired."

"Okay dear. Sleep tight."

"Good night Aunt Charlotte."

I dragged myself up the stairs and into the hallway. All of the lights were off and the area had a feeling of being abandoned. I wondered briefly why Aunt Charlotte appeared to never have even travelled upstairs since I was here last, but finally concluded that it must be just my imagination. I reached out to turn on the light and found myself face to face with a picture of two young girls hanging on the wall. I had never noticed this picture on the wall, which is surprising considering I had lived here since I was a year old, but I guess I just hadn't been paying attention.

One of the girls was short and blonde. She had a light splattering of freckles across her nose, which was turned up just a little bit. She had brown eyes, but they weren't dull. They were sparkling and full of life. This was most definitely Aunt Charlotte. But the other girl was harder to name. Her hair was a wild kind of curly and a deep chocolate brown. She had no freckles and her eyes were a bright blue, just like mine. Even though they looked nothing alike, I knew they were sisters. The other girl in the photo was my mother.

"She was a great sister, you know." Aunt Charlotte said from behind me. I hadn't even noticed she was there.

"Really? I was under the impression that you hated her."

"She was my sister, Annie. I could never hate her. Yes, I am disappointed in the choices she made, but I don't hate her."

I nodded. "She was a Slytherin, wasn't she?"

"Yes, but I don't want you to be prejudice because of it. She was once a good person."

"Once? What happened?"

"She just made some bad friends." Aunt Charlotte explained. "You know that old saying, you are who your friends are."

"You say that like that is the only reason. You have to admit that she should take some of the blame."

"Yes and no. You're just determined to hate her. You never knew her Annie-"

"Have you ever thought that maybe that is the reason I hate her? She abandoned me! Any real mother would never abandon her child!"

"She had her reasons…"

"Yeah? Well then tell me." I snapped. "What was so important that she just had to leave me?"

"I- I can't do that. You don't need to know."

"I don't need to know? I'm her daughter! I should know! Do you think I don't realize that you skirt around every single question I ask about her? Or that all of my teachers at school raise an eyebrow suspiciously when I say my last name? And I still have no idea why."

"She wasn't a bad person. You have to understand that. She was a good person who made some bad choices."

"Stop defending her! For all I know she could be some type of murderer or something."

Aunt Charlotte's face drained of color as she reached up to take the picture down with shaky hands. "You should go to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow."


	16. Year 4 Chapter 2 Bedtime Stories

**Sorry for the long wait again. School has been crazy with rehearsals, end of the year projects, and then finals, but I am finally back. Now that it's summer I plan to spend a lot more time writing. I'm not saying that there will be a new chapter up every other day or something, summer's usually pretty busy for me too. But since I'm not at school from 7:00-5:00 every day plus a couple of hours of homework, updates will be a little more frequent. Just be lucky I decided not to be in another show this summer with rehearsals from early in the morning to late at night. And I'm sorry that the tone of this year is a little darker than first year, but it makes sense with two wars just starting to happen for Annie. However, 4th years going to be sooo much better because this year Annie just might get a love interest. Some of you were also a little disappointed that I didn't summarize 2nd and 3rd year, but if you look I do mention important things that happen within chapters. I just thought it would be a little boring to read (and to write) a chapter that just summarized those two years. As always, enjoy and please review! Reviews equal faster updates. **

Chapter 2: Bedtime Stories

At exactly half past nine in the morning I dragged myself out of bed, taking special care not to disturb my still healing arm. I barely had thirty minutes to get dressed and be at the Burrow. So I threw on a t- shirt and a pair of sweats that I hadn't thought I would need at camp. The mirror in my room showed me the constant reminder of the battle in the form of my reflection. The scar across my face was still as red and prominent as ever, but there was nothing I could do to hide that. The scar on my arm was just as repulsive as the day I discovered it, and there was something I could do to hide that. So I threw off my t-shirt and pulled on a long sleeve shirt.

"It's summer Annie. You'll be boiling in that." Aunt Charlotte reprimanded as I came down the stairs. Her posture was unnaturally stiff and her tone of voice reminded me of the kind of voice somewhat would use on somebody they just met.

"I'll deal with it."

"You can't hide that scar forever. I know that's what you're trying to do. But they are bound to notice it eventually."

"Just drop it. Please." I said, feeling myself getting annoyed. It wasn't her problem if I didn't want to go around showing off my "battle scars".

She sighed heavily. "I assume you know how to use Floo powder?"

I nodded sullenly. "Of course."

"Well then here you go." She said, handing me a box full of the familiar powder. "I borrowed a bit from Molly."

"Okay. Bye Aunt Charlotte."

"Goodbye sweetheart. Take care!"

I took a handful and stepped into the fireplace, dragging my trunk that I had retrieved from the bottom of the stairs, behind me. "The Burrow!" And then I was gone. My aunt disappeared as I sped through the Floo network. I hated the sensation. The spinning always made me feel slightly nauseous. This was why I was so relieved when it stopped and I all but fell into the Weasley's living room.

I had been to the Burrow only once before. That was the summer before my second year. After the summer session for camp ended, my aunt had told me that she had to go out of town and that she had arranged for me to stay at the Burrow. I was okay with that. That summer turned out to be the best summer of my life. But I doubted this visit would be the same. Too much had happened already for any visit to make up for it.

"Annie? Is that you?" I heard Mrs. Weasley call from inside the kitchen.

"Yeah it's me. Where is everybody?" I said as I carried my trunk into the kitchen, noticing for the first time how quiet it was.

"They're at the Quidditch World Cup. They would have taken you of course, but you weren't he- oh Annie! What happened?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed once she noticed the scar on my face.

"It's nothing."

"How did this happen? Did someone hurt you?"

"No Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine, really." I explained, but she didn't look convinced.

"You are obviously not fine! Look at you! You're limping!"

"I'm okay. I just got hurt at camp." Truth.

"How?"

"I, uh, I fell." Lie. But I couldn't tell her anymore of the truth. Just because Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew I was a demigod, didn't mean everybody did, and it was likely that they never would.

Mrs. Weasley, a mother of seven, could obviously see straight through my lie, but luckily she didn't push the subject any further.

"Well, let me just get something for that. I'm pretty sure I have something that might help it heal up a bit, but it probably won't ever disappear completely. You know, raising Fred and George I had to keep a lot of that kind of stuff around the house. It always seemed like somebody was getting hurt." I let Mrs. Weasley talk as she fished around the cabinets for something. "Ah, here we are." She held up a small bottle of some type of bluish cream. She unscrewed the lid and put a small dab on her finger. "This might sting a little." And Hades, it did. As she rubbed that small amount of cream on my face I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out, but after a few seconds it was gone and in its place was a nice cooling sensation. The most amazing feeling of relief spread through my body. It was one of those times that you don't realize something hurts until after the pain is gone.

"That better?"

I nodded gratefully. "Much. Thanks Mrs. Weasley."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh don't worry about it. It was no big deal. Now you can go upstairs and change out of that warm shirt. You'll be sharing with Ginny and Hermione."

"No, I'm fine. I'm really not that hot." But I was.

"Not that hot? It's stifling!"

"I'm fine, honestly."

She still looked a bit skeptical, but said, "If you say so. Now if you wouldn't mind, could you help me finish this soup? Everybody's expected to be back before long."

"Sure." I answered, glad to be done with the interrogation.

After about thirty minutes of chopping vegetables. I noticed some sort of dark dot in the sky growing larger and larger. "Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes dear?" She asked, still chopping a carrot.

"Is that an owl?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Must be the Daily Prophet." She opened the window to let the owl in. It dropped the paper onto the counter and waited, somewhat impatiently, as Mrs. Weasley fished out a sickle to give it. While she was doing that, I opened the paper. The headline on the front page made me gasp in surprise.

"What? Did something happen?" Mrs. Weasley asked, rushing to see over my shoulder. I set the paper down to allow her a better view.

Terror at the World Cup

_Last night as thousands of dedicated Quidditch fans celebrated the victory of the Irish team, a group of Death Eaters attacked the camp. A family of muggles were targeted and have since been obliviated. After the initial attack the Dark Mark was seen above the sight. No fatalities were reported, but several people were injured. Turn to page thirteen to learn more about how to defend yourself if another attack should occur near you._

Mrs. Weasley's face was stoney and pale. "Are you alright?" I asked tentatively.

"'No fatalities were reported but several people were injured.' That's all it said. What if Arthur's hurt? Or Bill? Or Charlie? And, oh God, what about Fred and George? The last thing I did was yell at them. How could I live with myself if something happened to them and they only remembered me yelling!"

"Mrs. Weasley, calm down. No fatalities were reported. They're all coming back." I tried to keep my voice sounding calm, but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded. The truth was, my heart was beating a million miles an hour. I had already lost so much this summer; anything more just might kill me. Figuratively speaking of course. My words however had no affect on Mrs. Weasley, who continued to pace back and forth until we heard a few distant pops followed by a flurry of voices.

"They're here!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, pushing past me and out the front door. I wasn't that far behind. Once I had seen that everyone was alright, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, engulfing her husband in a bone crushing hug. "You have no idea how worried I've been. I thought you had been hurt, and I wasn't there! It's been awful!"

"Merlin Annie. What happened to you?" I heard George ask behind me. I tried to hide my annoyance that I was being asked the same question over and over again, but I knew he meant well. He was just being curious.

"I just got hurt."

"Well obviously." He said, rolling his eyes as if to say "DUH!". "I meant how."

"Oh, yeah. I got into a little fight at camp. It's no big deal."

"What kind of kids do you go to camp with? If they give you a scar like that they must be some kind of monsters."

"It certainly was a monster that got me." I said. I smiled at my own little private joke. "Believe it or not, it was worse a little while ago. Your mum gave me some stuff to put on it."

"Ah, Essence of Murtlap. Works wonders. I remember one time that Fred and I accidently pushed Ron out of a tree and he got a scar on his little- uh, never mind. Point is, he'd probably still have it if Mum hadn't used that."

Ugh, bad visions. "Somehow I don't think it was accidently." I teased, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to break out.

"Okay, maybe it was on purpose, but we didn't mean to hurt him that bad, just a little bit. And he was being obnoxious. Stupid four year olds…"

I laughed out loud this time. "Now _that _I can believe."

"Annie!" I twirled around and immediately saw a blur of bushy brown hair as Hermione nearly tackled me in a hug. I expected her to ask the common question, "What happened to you?", but she never did. Instead she said, "Well, I guess you'll just tell me later." This was the great thing about Hermione, she knew when and where to ask things like this. Ron, however, was just the opposite.

"Bloody hell Annie, what happened to your face?"

"Ronald!" Hermione and Mrs. Weasley reprimanded at the same time.

Ron's ears turned a bright scarlet as he muttered a small, "Sorry." I saw Harry, who was just behind Ron, try to hide his laughter but he wasn't doing a very good job of it. Ron stalked off into the house almost immediately and Harry followed close behind.

Later that night, after Ginny had finally fallen asleep, and stayed that way for awhile, Hermione and I risked sneaking upstairs to Ron's near- attic bedroom. "Oi! Wake up!" I stage whispered so as not to disturb Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were sleeping just below us.

Ron bolted upright with an incomprehensible, "Wuzzgoinon?" While Harry just grunted and rolled over.

"Harry!" I whispered, only slightly louder than last time. "Wake up! Don't you want to hear what happened at camp?" That got him to sit up. Ever since Ron, the bloody blabbermouth, had spilled the beans about my being a demigod (less than twenty four hours after finding out himself, I might add), my three friends had grown to be, for lack of a better word, obsessed with what they liked to call my "second life". This was easy to understand. I supposed if it had been one of them that had an extra "life" that was so different than what would ever be considered normal, I would've been interested too.

"Does this have to do with that ugly scar on your face?" Ron asked all too bluntly.

I rubbed my index finger up and down the thin line tenderly so as not to irritate it. "Oh, Ron." I said. "You have such a nice way with words. But yes, this is about my scar. I got it during the battle."

Hermione gasped. "You didn't tell me it was a battle! I thought it was just a monster or something."

"Well I never had a chance to tell you. Everybody was always surrounded by people. And technically, it was a monster who gave it to me, at least I think. I'm not actually sure how I got it, but my wounds are not the important part. The important part is the reason for the battle. There was an entrance to the Labyrinth at camp." I explained.

"What's the Labyrinth." Harry asked curiously.

"It's like this huge maze." Hermione cut in. "It was built by Daedalus for King Minos in Crete. King Minos put the Minotaur in the center of it, but it was eventually killed by Theseus with the help of Ariadne. I read about it a couple of years ago. But I suppose it's somewhere in America now if we're sticking with the same theme most of your stories go with."

"It's not just in America, it practically is America. The Labyrinth is huge. Percy, my friend that is, told me that he entered it in New York City and came out in California. It is underneath the entire country. This is bad because it gave Kronos' army a way directly into camp, but only if they could find a way to control. Because the thing is, if you can't control the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth will control you."

"Sounds menacing." Ron said. "So what did you guys do about it?"

" Well, I was getting to that part. Chiron sent Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Tyson on a quest into the Labyrinth in order to stop that from happening, but that never happened because Kronos' army got in anyway. That's how the battle started."

"No offence or anything, but why did they want to destroy your camp?" Harry asked. "Why not just go straight for Mt. Olympus."

"Because if you destroy all of the demigods, you destroy the gods. They act through us, we're like pawns in their life size game of chess." I joked, referencing our adventure to retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from Lord Voldemort. Ron cracked a smile.

"Nobody got, you know, killed did they?" Hermione asked, almost nervously.

I looked away. This was the question I had been dreading ever since we started this conversation, but I knew it was coming. Why would I expect anything else? It would have been the first thing on my mind too, but still, it felt horrible to actually say it out loud. "Yes." I whispered.

Hermione put her arm around me and I buried my face in her shoulder. "My brother. His name was Lee. He was killed by a Cyclops. I should've done something. I saw him just before it happened. If I would have been with him for just a couple seconds longer he would still be alive."

"You can't blame yourself," Harry said as he joined us on the corner of Ron's bed. "You'll only make yourself miserable. Trust me."

"I know, I know. I'm being stupid. We should just move on. I don't want to talk about it. I guess you guys want to know what happened during the battle?"

Hermione nodded, but she still looked pityingly at me. Ron and Harry didn't say anything, which I was grateful for. I didn't like people to feel sorry for me. "Well, after I decided that archery wasn't the best approach to taking down the enemy, I joined the battle fully. There were a couple Laistrygonian giants that I got into a spot of trouble with, but that was the easy part. A hellhound nearly ripped me to shreds." I explained as I pulled down the collar of my shirt to show them the scratched that were still visible from where the hellhound's claws had dug into my skin. "Percy got me out of that one. But I got distracted talking to him and a Cyclops snuck up behind me and hit me in the head."

Hermione let out a scared little squeak. "Oh, Annie! Were you okay?"

"Well obviously Hermione." Ron said. "Otherwise she wouldn't be here."

"Well, _Ronald, _I think she knows what I mean."

"No, I wasn't seriously injured if that's what you mean. But it hurt like nothing else. Somehow I managed to continue fighting after that, which is a miracle considering it took so much effort to even get up off the ground. But that's when Kampê showed up." I shuddered, despite myself. "She was horrible, like the mother of the mother of all monsters. It took a lot to fight her, but I didn't get to finish her off. Just before we were about to overtake her, she made one last attempt to save herself. She cut up my arm pretty bad." I pushed up the sleeve that I used to cover the disgusting wound, and just as I expected, all my friends were completely repulsed.

"Does it hurt?" Harry asked, eyeing it cautiously.

"Worse than my head ever could."

"Why is it green?" Ron continued, looking slightly green himself.

"I guess the sword was poisonous."

Only Hermione stayed silent. She looked distressed, so I asked, "What's wrong?"

"I never realized how horrible it all was. I mean, I knew bad things happened when you were a demigod, but this, it's just awful! You could've died Annie, there were so many times when you could have died. I just, I don't want to think about it."

"I'm fine Hermione. I didn't die. I know that it's dangerous, but I don't really have any other choice. I didn't choose my dad."

"Yes, but you chose to go to camp. You could've stayed here. You would have been safe here."

"You know I could never do that. I wouldn't just leave my friends to die, and I know you wouldn't either. Yes, it's scary and I wish that things could be different, but they're not and I have to deal with it. And it's not like we've never been in danger before."

Hermione sighed. "You're right. I'm just scared for you. It's not like this is over yet."

I shook my head. "I don't think this will be over for awhile. Kronos isn't gone yet and we've got a long way to go." I pulled the sleeve down back over my left arm and got up. "We better get back. I think we'd be pushing our luck if we stayed in here that much longer. I don't want your parents getting the wrong idea." And now all three of them looked significantly repulsed.


	17. Year4 Chapter 3: George and I Get Cozy

**I feel like I start every chapter off with an apology. It's been way too long since I last posted and there are several reasons for that. I know what you're thinking, more excuses. But these are valid I promise! I've been super busy in June, with camp and helping at my church's VBS and stuff like that, I just haven't had time to write. I've also really struggled with this chapter and I don't know why. I wrote half of it about a month ago and wasn't pleased at all with how it turned out. I've been revising like crazy because I don't want you to have to wait for something for a month and then have it suck. That's never fun. The last reason, I guess I'm just not inspired. The last chapter I got like 2 reviews and while those reviews made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I was a little bummed out by the lack of response. It seems like I'm whining, so sorry about that. I just need to say that reviews, putting this story on story alert/favorite really makes me want to write. And to be honest, this chapter would still be waiting to be revised on my computer had **SexyFireBendingNinja **not added this story to her favorites. I'm not asking for everybody to go and favorite my stories, but I am asking for some sort of response. Whether it be a review (I am more than welcome to constructive criticism. It makes me a better writer) or putting it on story alert or something. And I hate it when other authors do this, but I'm just going to try it and see what happens. 10 reviews until next chapter? I think that's pretty reasonable. Now enough of my whining (which I am really really sorry about), happy reading!**

Chapter 3: George and I Get Cozy

Neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy (Weasley, that is. Not Jackson) were at home much over the following weeks. Both left before the crack of dawn each morning and didn't return until everybody started getting ready for bed. Apparently the Ministry was taking all the blame for what had happened at the World Cup. Percy was forced to take all of the howlers that they received, while Mr. Weasley tried to do damage control.

We had fallen into a routine at the Burrow. Wake up and eat breakfast, which Mrs. Weasley always cooked, play a game of Quidditch, or in the case of Hermione and me, watch helplessly as everybody else played, because we couldn't fly a broom to save our lives. Then we go inside to eat lunch, do some chores, wait for dinner to be served, hang out some more, than go to bed. It wasn't boring, despite the repetitiveness of these tasks. It had seemed like ages ago that I had last spent quality time with my three closest friends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

We didn't talk much about the battle I had just been in. I found it a true sign of our friendship that they didn't push me to tell them more. While I was sure that they were curious and spent their time discussing it when I wasn't around, I wasn't quite ready to speak any more freely about it. Instead we talked about a new development, Harry's scar. He said that it had been hurting him a lot lately. As soon as he told us, Hermione gasped in astonishment and immediately started making suggestions as she wrote down a list of reference books. Ron and I looked dumbstruck. The last time Harry's scar had hurt, it had meant that Lord Voldemort was back.

"B-but he's not back, is he?" Ron stammered.

"I'm sure he wasn't on Privet Drive, that's where I was when it started hurting. He wouldn't want to go there." Harry explained.

"This is serious." I said. "If there is any possibility, no matter how slim, you have to tell somebody. Dumbledore w-"

"Dumbledore has other things to worry about." Said Harry.

"I'm sure he'd _want _to hear about this." Hermione cut in. "Did you at least tell somebody else?"

"Well, I wrote to Sirius, but he hasn't written back yet."

"Is that all? I mean, did anything else weird happen?" I asked.

"I had a dream about him, the night before it started hurting. Pettigrew was there, and Voldemort, and there was some other man there but I couldn't see who it was. They were plotting, to kill someone I think." Harry looked like he wanted to say something more but stopped himself.

"But that's just a nightmare, isn't it?" Ron asked nervously.

Harry nodded, though he didn't seem to sure, and I was with him. Dreams were powerful things. As a demigod I had to know this. For us, dreams were visions into the past, future, or even a message from someone, but very rarely were they ever just dreams. In my first year I had a dream about Kronos rising again, and what do you know? Three years later there's a war. Regular mortals were different, often times their dreams _were_ just dreams. But it was a little fishy. Harry's scar, which had always seemed to have a connection with Lord Voldemort, had started hurting right after he had a dream about him. That sent up a whole bunch of red flags in my mind. "And don't you remember what Professor Trelawney said at the end of last year?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, you can't believe anything that old fraud said. Divination's not even a real subject."

I shot Hermione a fierce glare. "My dad is the god of prophecies. I can assure that divination is just as real as, say, arithmancy."

"Okay, maybe I phrased that wrong. What Professor Trelawney teaches isn't worth learning." Hermione corrected. I nodded appreciatively, but was still a little ticked.

Harry ignored the small argument that Hermione and I had gotten into and continued. "Anyway, you didn't hear her Hermione. She went into this weird sort of trance thingy- a real one. And she said the Dark Lord would rise again, greater and more terrifying than ever before…and he'd manage it because his servant was going back to him. That was the night that Wormtail escaped."

"Harry, can we please not talk about something horrible rising again. I've had enough of that this summer."

"Sorry Annie. I kind of forgot."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine, but let's go downstairs. I think Mrs. Weasley has dinner ready."

After we had all sufficiently stuffed ourselves, everybody went off to do their own thing. Harry and Ron went upstairs while Hermione and Ginny were taping up some of Ginny's old textbooks with spellotape. I considered going over there to join them when I saw Fred and George sitting in the corner of the living room and discussing something in hushed voices. I went over to join them.

It's hard to tell when exactly things had changed between the three of us. At the beginning of my first year I had wanted almost nothing to do with them. But I think I could trace it back to the centaur blood on Christmas. It didn't take them long, well if you consider the next summer not a long time, until they figured out who had done it. They were fascinated by the effects the centaur blood had on the body. Since this was really only widely known at camp and with the other Greek "mythological" beings, it made sense why they had never seen anything like it. That summer we spent countless hours discussing ways to use centaur blood as an ingredient in a joke product that they could sell at their future joke shop. Ever since then we had been not exactly best friends, but close acquaintances. Well, at least I was with George. Fred didn't seem to like me all that much, and I still couldn't figure out why. But it wasn't uncommon for me to say hi.

"Are you making more order forms?" I asked, sitting cross legged next to them. "What happened to the old ones?"

Fred looked up to answer me while George continued to write feverishly across a piece of parchment. "Mum found them and through them out." He replied sharply before bending back over his own parchment and returning to his writing.

Mrs. Weasley heard her name and looked across the room. "What are you two up to?" She said sharply, her eyes on the twins.

"Homework." George said quickly.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're still on holiday."

"Yeah, we've just left it a bit late. We only have a little left." Fred continued.

"You wouldn't by chance be writing out new order forms, would you?" Mrs. Weasley asked shrewdly. "You know how I feel about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

A wicked grin crossed over Fred's face. "Now Mum, if the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel if the last thing we heard from you was some insane accusation about doing something you deliberately told us not to." I cracked a smile and tried to fight down the laughter that was threatening to bubble up, but Mrs. Weasley laughed.

"Just go to bed you two."

…

The next morning was spent in a flurry of excitement. Ginny, Hermione, and I had overslept. This was particularly surprising since Hermione usually woke up at the crack of dawn. Since she chose September 1 of all days to be late, we had to rush about our getting ready. Hermione had been smart enough to pack her trunk the night before, but Ginny and I weren't so lucky. We were throwing things haphazardly into the trunk, not caring if it looked neat or if we'd ever be able to find anything we were looking for in that mess.

After that was done, we ran down the stairs with our trunks bumping along behind us. There was a car waiting out front that Mr. Weasley had borrowed from the Ministry. It looked much too small to be able to fit the entire Weasley family, but as magic so often did, it was bound to surprise me.

"Annie! Wait!" Mrs. Weasley called from inside the house. "I need you to put something in your trunk." She rushed out the front door carrying a bundle of something light blue and silky in her arms. "I forgot to give these to you yesterday when I picked up all of the school supplies. Dress robes were on the list." She explained.

"Dress robes?" I asked. "What for?"

She smiled. "You'll find out tonight, I'm sure." Mrs. Weasley handed over the bundle and I held the dress robes out in front of me. The light blue silk dress robes were lovely, as they were slightly more fitted at the top and flowed out a little at the hips.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley!" I said, folding them up nicely and placing them in my trunk carefully.

"Oh it was no problem dear. Now you better get in the car. We're already ten minutes late." I nodded, hoisted my trunk into the back of the ministry- borrowed car and got in beside Ron.

It turns out I was right. As soon as I slid into the car I found that the interior was large enough to fit our entire group of people comfortably. Harry and Ron were sitting next to each other and talking animatedly about something or other so I waited for either Hermione or Ginny to slide in next to me, but they never did. Fred and George were the ones to get in next. I don't know if it was on purpose, but it seemed like George was trying to make me feel as uncomfortable as possible as he pressed his left leg up against my right as if there wasn't enough room for him to scoot over an inch. I flashed him a dirty look but he was too busy talking to Fred so I settled back in my seat and resided to just embracing the awkwardness.

When I got out of the car at King's Cross I was very aware of the hot patch of skin that was where George's knee had been pressed into my thigh. I tried not to show my discomfort and walked next to Hermione. "What's wrong?" She asked, taking in the look on my face.

"I don't know…" I muttered.

"You just have this sort of blank look on your face." She explained.

"Sorry. I'm just feeling a little spacey today. Probably because I'm tired."

"You and George were getting kind of cozy." She teased, flashing me a joking smile. I blushed deeply and prayed that George hadn't heard.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I told her defiantly.

She giggled. "Oh, but I think you do. Why else would you look like he just slipped you a love potion."

"I do not!"

She laughed causing me to burst into laughter as well. It felt great to be joking and teasing when my life had basically been a living hell for so long. I took it as a sign that now that I was going to school things would get better. Even though in the back of my mind I knew that the worst was yet to come, just for that moment I remembered that I was going to Hogwarts and therefore going home.


	18. Year 4 Chapter 4: Diana

**See? I told you reviews help keep me motivated. Another chapter written entirely within a week after an overwhelmingly good response to the last chapter. Expect a new chapter soon, though probably not too soon considering I have yet to finish my summer reading (Lord of the Flies, ugh.) and still have to write an essay as the due date looms nearer and neared every day. I know, I'm being dramatic, but you'd see my dilema if you had to read that book. I seriously cannot get through 3 pages without wanting to fall asleep. And I _love _reading. Grr... well enough of my whining. Enjoy this chapter and as always REVIEW!**

Hogwarts loomed ever closer in the distance as the Hogwarts Express sped onward. After arriving on Platform 9 3/4, the four of us had said our goodbyes to the Weasleys and found an empty compartment to sit in as usual. It was strange being alone after a month of constantly being surrounded by other people. Hermione had decided to mercifully drop the teasing about George once we were with Harry and Ron, leaving us to discuss the mysterious surprise that everybody said would await us when we arrived in Hogwarts. After numerous theories, we decided that we could never figure it out and it would be best just to wait and see like the rest of the student body.

Right as we were leaving our compartment to get on the carriages that would take us to school, I ran into the person I probably least wanted to see. Draco freaking Malfoy. "Nice face Greymann. Fancied looking like your boyfriend, Potter did you?"

"Shut up Malfoy." Harry spat.

"Oh defending her are you? How pathetic." He sneered.

Harry looked murderous and took a step towards Draco, but I quickly grabbed his arm to restrain him. "Don't bother Harry. He's not worth it."

"You should listen to her." Draco said, a sinister smile threatening to spread across his face. " I wouldn't want you to do anything you'd regret."

This time Ron stepped up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Draco just smirked and turned away, apparently deeming us not important enough for his attention any more. "Slimy git." I heard Ron mutter before walking in the direction of the carriages. I took a step to follow him, but I felt somebody tap my shoulder.

"Antigone?" A small little girl stood there in brand new Hogwarts robes with her long auburn hair pulled back in a braid that went all the way down her back. Tiny, though she was, she gave off an aura of superiority. She held her head high, not looking down to anyone.

"It's Annie, if you don't mind." I snapped. "Who are you?"

She glanced at the people milling about before answering. "My name is Diana, but I'm sure you already know who I am."

I was about to tell her that no, I have no idea who she is, when Hermione called me over. "Annie! We saved you a spot!"

"I've got to go. Bye!"I ran off in the direction of my friends, not bothering to turn around and look back at Diana.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked once she had helped me into the horseless carriage.

"I have no idea." I replied, shaking off the feeling that confirmed what Diana had said, that I might actually know her.

…

When the first years came in through the large doors that led into the Great Hall, I was able to spot Diana immediately. She was the only first year that wasn't looking around in awe, or acting like a frightened little kitten. In fact, she looked almost bored. It was like the splendor that was Hogwarts had absolutely no affect on her and she saw things like this almost every day. She saw me staring at her and I could've sworn her eyes flashed silver just for a second.

All of the sudden a pain, so intense I felt my vision grow fuzzy and my mind go blank, shot through my body. My heart was beating 100 mph. I reached a hand drenched in a cold sweat up to my chest in a vain attempt to slow the beating. I felt ill. I was going to throw up. I was going to faint. And then I saw him. His eyes were red, his nose nothing more than two slits, his mouth curled up in a truly evil smile. He was talking to a man who sat on top of a throne of bones. Human bones. His robes showed the anguished faces of the now dead victims whenever he moved. Lord Voldemort was talking to Hades.

And then it was over, just as quickly as it had begun. I was on my back in the Great Hall and looking up at the stormy night sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were kneeling beside me. Upon seeing I was awake they tried to help me up. The room was so quiet, I was certain that if I dropped a pin every student and teacher at Hogwarts would be able to hear it. And every single one of them was staring at me. Dumbledore had gotten out of his seat in the middle of the teacher's table and was making his way toward me.

By this time I had gotten shakily to my feet and was leaning on Hermione for support. Dumbledore gave me one of those looks that made me feel as if he could read every thought on my mind before he opened his mouth. "Miss Granger, would you please accompany Miss Greymann to the Hospital Wing? I am certain that Poppy would want to make sure everything is okay."

"Right away Professor." She replied and dragged me towards the exit. Once outside, the questioning began.

"What happened back there?"

I took a deep breath. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Everybody thought you were having some kind of fit. Your eyes just rolled back in your head and you fell out of year seat. You were just laying there. It was awful."

I stopped suddenly, figuring it was best to tell her now while we were alone. "I saw Lord Voldemort. He was alive and he was talking to Hades."

"What did he say?"

"I have no idea. I couldn't hear anything, but I think that 1st year, Diana, has something to do with it."

"You think she's a Death Eater?" Her tone completely disbelieving.

"Not exactly." I explained. "I was looking at her when it happened. Her eyes flashed silver and then I felt this horrible pain."

"Do you think it was a vision. Of the future, I mean."

"I hope it's not a vision of the future. I really, really hope not."

…

After a thorough examination, Madam Pomfrey had deemed that there was nothing wrong with, gave me a potion to help get some strength back and sent me on my way. Unfortunately I had missed the entire feast, so by the time I came through the portrait hole my stomach was growling. But as soon as I stepped into the Common Room I stopped dead in my tracks. The room was abuzz with excited conversation. I only caught a few snippets.

"The Triwizard Tournament…"

"…Hogwarts Champion…"

"…extremely dangerous tasks…"

I found my three friends sitting in their favorite spot exchanging worried expressions. I rushed over to them. "What's going on?"I asked as I sat down next to Ron.

"I guess you haven't heard yet, have you?" Harry answered. "Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year."

"The Triwiz- what?"

"The Triwizard Tournament." Ron explained excitedly. "It's a tournament where three wizards from different schools (Beauxbatons and Durmstrand are the other two) compete to win the Triwizard cup by completing a series of tasks. This is the first time in years that they've done it. It was cancelled due to the alarming number of deaths."

I raised my eyebrows, failing to see what was so great about a bunch of kids competing in life- threatening tasks. "Brilliant…"

Harry saw the look on my face and promptly set me straight. "But this time they've made changes to make sure that nobody dies."

"Great. So are you going to enter?"

Ron shook his head grudgingly. "Can't. We're not seventeen. One of the changes they made was you had to be of age to enter."

I shrugged. "Fine by me. I've had enough danger in my life to last until the day I die."

"But it would be great to win. Glory, fame, knowing that you alone had beaten some of the best witches and wizards in the world…" Ron continued wistfully.

"Well there's nothing we can do to change the rules, so you can stop dreaming Ronald." Hermione teased.

Ron rolled his eyes and sank back into the chair looking a little put out. "Enough about that. What happened with you? Hermione would tell us a thing." Harry said, scooting his chair closer. Ron sat up straight and turned to me expectantly.

"It's hard to explain." I told them.

"Just try." Harry said.

"Well, there was this girl, a first year. Her name is Diana, I believe. Anyway, I saw her during the sorting and I could've sworn her eyes were silver, but just for a second."

"You mean Diana Artema?" Ron asked.

"I guess so, why? Do you know her?"

"Well she was sorted into Gryffindor. She's standing right over there."Ron pointed to a corner where the auburn haired girl stood by herself, her eyes train directly on me.

I got up suddenly, startling my friends. "I'll be right back." I told them and left to talk to this Diana.

"What are you playing at?" I hissed to the girl through clench teeth.

She narrowed her eyes as if to say, "How dare you." But the moment of intensity passed and she said, "I came to ask something of you."

Her voice was strange, a trait that I hadn't noticed before. It seemed old, but not like an old lady's. It seemed almost…timeless. She slipped a small pamphlet out of her robes and into my hands. On the cover a group of girls was displayed wearing bright silver jackets and raising bows in the stance of a very skilled archer. All of the girls had that same timeless look about them. Inside were even more pictures of the same group, but with paragraphs titled, "What Immortality Could Do For You", "Living a Life of Chastity", and "A Hunter's Dream". All at once everything fell into place.

"You're Artemis." I said rather bluntly.

"Yes. I was informed by my Lieutenant Hunter that you were a gifted archer and you would be a great addition to the Hunt. Naturally, I inquired about you to my brother who informed me about your _special _abilities."

"You want me to join the Hunt because I have magic?" I asked skeptically.

Artemis took a step towards me. "Antigone, you and I both know that war is inevitable. I will have to leave to protect Olympus with the other gods. The hunters will be expected to fight alongside camp if a battle should ever arise. Your magic would be the key to ensuring the safety of my hunters."

I raised an eyebrow, slightly offended. "Do you want me to be a hunter or their protector"

"Both." She assured me.

I looked down at the pamphlet and then back to my friends. "If I did this, there would be no turning back."

Artemis followed my gaze. "There would be no turning back." She confirmed. "But think of all this could mean for you. You would be immortal."

I sighed. "I really don't know. It sounds great and everything, but I'd have to leave everything. I'm not even done with my education yet! What I mean to say is, my place is here. I'm not ready to leace it yet."

She nodded curtly. "Very well. If you ever change your mind, my offer still stands." She turned and started to walk towards the portrait hole.

"Wait!" I called, jogging up next to her. "Lady Artemis, I have to ask you a question. Did you have anything to do with what happened during the feast?"

"I did not. I believe the blame rests solely on my brother. He gave you a vision. Do with it what you will." And then she turned back around and walked out of the Gryffindor common room.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked as I once again took my seat with my friends.

"That was Artemis." I explained.

"Artemis?" Hermione gasped. "As in the goddess, Artemis."

"The very same."

She leaned in closer and looked at me expectantly. "Well? What did she want?"

I pulled out the pamphlet that Artemis had given me and handed it to Hermione. Ron leaned across from me to read from the title. "What are the Hunters of Artemis?"

"They're a group of immortal hunters who assist Artemis with, you know, hunting and stuff."

"You have to live a life of chastity?" Hermione asked, her mouth hanging open.

"Naturally. Artemis is a maiden goddess. It would only make sense for her hunters to swear off men as well." I explained.

"You're not going to do it, are you?" Harry asked worriedly. "You're going to stay at Hogwarts?"

"I told her I couldn't do it. I need to stay here."

I heard the three of them let out slow sighs of relief, just them realizing how worried they had been. I put on my best reassuring smile. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me." I finished teasingly. "But not right now. I'm tired."

"Aren't you going to tell us about what happen at the feast?" Harry asked.

"Oh, sorry. Sure." I said, remembering the whole reason for this conversation in the first place. "Artemis just confirmed that I had a vision of the future. Some sort of twisted gift from my father, I guess."

"Well what was it?" Ron urged impatiently.

"I saw Lord Voldemort. He was back and fully alive. I don't know how. He was talking to Hades about… something."

Harry felt his scar, looking worried. "Do you know when?"

I shook my head apologetically. "I have no idea. All I know is that Lord Voldemort is coming back, and if he forms an alliance with Hades, we're all doomed. "


	19. Year 4 Chapter 5: SPEW

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! Sorry for the long wait, but I've come up with a new policy. I will write at least 200 words a day and upload a new chapter every week. Chapters may be a bit shorter from now on, but you guys can agree I'm sure that this is a much better way to do things than month long absenses. If I fail to meet this promise to you, please bug me with as many PMs and angry messages as possible. This will hopefully keep me accountable. Now for the important news, I added some fun stuff to my profile page which I highly advise you go check out. I'll post important news and such regarding my stories there. But there's something even better I just created. I have recently started a blog at **(see profile) **where I will post exciting news about my writing. There will be updates about upcoming chapters (maybe even a few sneak peaks), as well as little tidbits about characters and backgrounds that didn't make it into Phoenix Rising. I highly suggest you check it out. If you have anything you want me to write about in the blog tell me in a review or PM and I'll see what I can do. *Hint Hint* I'm posting a sneak peak to the next chapter withing the next 24 hours. Sorry for the short (and slightly plotless) chapter. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting anymore. So READ AND ENJOY!**

Isn't it strange how I always seemed to be saddled with some huge responsibility in one way or the other? Or how I always tend to stay up late at night, contemplating what my next move should be? Even though I had known all along that Voldemort was a son of Hades, I never really connected the two. My life seemed to be split into two different parts; my camp life and my school life. Very rarely did these two ever really cross. I mean, sure, I'd have the occasional visit from a god, goddess, and once even a couple of monsters. But I'd never really thought about the fact of them ever becoming so closely intertwined. If Lord Voldemort formed an alliance with Hades, he was likely to come back again. War would be inevitable, both on Camp Half- Blood and on Hogwarts. How would my muggle friends ever be able to fight off an army of dark wizards? They would be slaughtered. And if the attack was turned around and Hogwarts was attacked, what chance did a bunch of students stand against the Lord of the Dead?

I envied Lavender and Parvati who were able to talk, giggle, and gossip as if nothing was wrong. Their dreams filled with visions of champions and perilous tasks for others to endure. I don't know, maybe I was being dramatic. My vision never really showed Hades and Voldemort making an alliance. Perhaps Hades said no? I used this thought to calm me down enough to allow me to fall into a fitful sleep.

The first light of the morning woke me, well, that and Hermione shaking me awake. "Annie! It's half past seven! You better get up if you want to talk to Dumbledore before we get to class." I grunted and rolled over, looking her in the eyes groggily.

"Who said I wanted to talk to Dumbledore?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Oh please, you know you have to." She countered.

"He wouldn't want to be bothered with this. It's not important."

"Not important? Annie, you saw Hades, a _god, _making an alliance with Lord Voldemort, who was _alive. _How is that not important?"

"Well, I never actually saw him making an alliance with Hades. I put a lot of thought into this, and I don't think we should worry anybody without solid proof."

Hermione shook her head with a frustrated sigh. "Fine. At least get dressed so we can go down to breakfast."

…

By the time Hermione and I reached the Great Hall, it was already teeming with students. Talking and laughing about their first night back. The first years still looked awed and overwhelmed. I noticed that a few of the Slytherin 4th year girls were huddled in a group near the end of their table, whispering viciously about something. As I passed they slowly looked up to meet my eyes and erupted into a fit of harsh giggles. I decided that I didn't want to know.

We found Ron and Harry talking to Fred and George by our usual spots at the Gryffindor table. The twins were waving their hands animatedly with that familiar mischievous glint in their eyes. I knew right away that they were planning something.

"What are you planning?" I asked, sitting between Ron and George.

"Well, Fred and I came up with a way to-"

"get across the age line that Dumbledore-"

"Is going to put up around the Goblet of Fire." George finished. I smiled at their usual way of finishing each other's sentences.

Hermione looked more skeptical. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Oh, that's easy." Fred started.

"We're going to use-"

"An age potion!" They finished together.

Hermione scoffed, disbelief evident in her voice. "Do you honestly think that an age line that Dumbledore drew himself could ever be fooled by something so pathetically dimwitted?"

"Oh, Hermione, that's why it's going to work." George said, patting her on the head.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted!" Fred continued.

I guffawed loudly, serving myself a generous amount of bacon. Hermione shot me a look, scolding me for encouraging them, but only making me laugh harder.

I noticed that Professor McGonagall was making her way down the Gryffindor table, handing out our new course schedules. Upon receiving ours we quickly started scanning the Monday column curiously.

" 'Snot too bad." Ron said between a mouthful of eggs. "We've got Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures… damn, we're still with the Slytherins."

"At least we're outside all morning." I reasoned.

Harry groaned. "But we have Double Divination this afternoon." I gave him a light slap on his arm to show my annoyance. Contrary to Ron and Harry's belief, Divination was not a bad subject. So what if Professor Trelawney tended to predict Harry's death during every lesson (which hadn't come true yet). They were just mad because they couldn't predict a thing. Professor Trelawney seemed to realize that too, but she found me most endearing. I was the only one in that class who was able to read her palm accurately, or see past the fog in the crystal ball.

Hermione started to butter her toast, and Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "I see you're eating again."

"Why wouldn't she be eating?" I asked, deciding for myself that toast sounded lovely and grabbing some for myself.

"Oh, I guess you missed it didn't you. Hermione's upset because she found out house elves work in the kitchen's at Hogwarts."

"Like Dobby?"

Hermione slammed down her toast. "Exactly like Dobby! You remember how miserable Dobby was when he was enslaved by the Malfoys. Imagine being forced to work for the rest of your life, doomed to a life of servitude, being denied _clothes._ It is one of the most awful displays of wizard supremacy I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."

"And Hogwarts participates in this?" I asked, just as angrily as Hermione. I had always had a bit of a soft spot for magical creatures. Well, not monsters, but house elves were perfectly harmless. I thought of Dobby and how he was forced to punish himself, just for trying to save Harry's life. My face grew warm with anger.

"See!" Hermione cried, pointing towards me. "Annie agrees with me!"

"For the last time, they _like _it. They love to serve wizards." Ron argued. I could tell he was growing annoyed with the turn the conversation was taking.

"But wouldn't they like it even better if they were given a weekly paycheck? And what if their sick? Shouldn't they be given days off? And what about vacation time? They can't be expected to work all the time." I argued.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "Finally! Somebody who sees sense!"

Ron looked over at Harry and shook his head. "Girls…"

I stabbed some eggs angrily, still fired up about this new turn of events, when something caught my eye. Scribbled hastily on the bottom of my schedule was a note. I recognized the neat handwriting anywhere. It was from Dumbledore.

_Annie,_

_Please join me in my office immediately after your last lesson to discuss a matter that greatly concerns you. I'll have some licorice snaps._

_-Professor Dumbledore_

"What are you looking at?" Harry asked, leaning across both Ron and Hermione to read over my shoulder.

"Just a note from Dumbledore." I explained. "He wants to talk to me about something."

"I told you he'd want to know about last night!" Hermione said, grabbing my schedule out of my hands and studying the note closely.

"It doesn't say he wants to talk about last night. It just says that he wants to, and I quote, 'discuss a matter that greatly concerns me'."

"Yes, but what else would he want to talk about?" Hermione argued back.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Guess I'll find out after Divination."

**Remember to go check out my blog!**


	20. Year 4 Chapter 6 Divination

**I know, I know... I said every week and it's been two. But maybe every week just won't work out. I'll try but I think every other week is a bit more realistic. For those few of you that looked at my blog, I updated it with a sneak preview for this chapter and more will be coming in the future. I also have another story coming out soon that I will talk about on there. I'd like to hear feedback from all of you both on my blog and on here, so please review! This chapter is relativly short, but I think it's very importantant for the plot ahead so I hope you enjoy!**

"Eurgh!" Squealed Lavender Brown, jumping away from the crates in surprise. Hagrid looked unperturbed as he grinned proudly down at his class.

"Blast ended skrewts!" He boasted. "On'y jus' hatched. Yeh get ter raise 'em from the start!"

Nobody looked too pleased about that little bit of information. The things were disgusting, looking more or less like some type of crustacean, except with no heads. Each pale and slimy looking. There were hundreds upon hundreds of them stuffed into the crates. And they smelled a bit like rotting fruit with an undertone of burnt fish. Perhaps that was from them spurting fire out of their back ends every couple of minutes.

"So get started!" Hagrid rushed. "Yer gonna be feedin' 'em today. I don' know exac'ly what they eat, so jus' try a few diff'rent things."

The class took a collective large step back, but Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I stepped forward for Hagrid's sake. He shot us a grateful smile. I didn't want to touch the skrewts, but what choice did I have? Hagrid was my friend, I couldn't let him down like that. How bad could they really be?

Bad. Ten minutes into the lesson and I was already sporting ten different burns, and more scratches and stings than I could count to join my battle wounds. I wasn't the only one injured though, the rest of the class was muttering their complaints when Hagrid wasn't around. Well, except for Draco Malfoy. He shouted his complaints just to make sure that Hagrid heard.

I nudged a small chicken egg into the cage and jerked my hand back with a hiss of pain. "Got me again." I muttered, rubbing the burn starting to blister on my hand. It was times like these I wish I could whip out my Medea's SPF 5000 burn repellent and get on with my life, but no, none of my classes could learn about my bloody secret.

Hermione looked equally as distressed, as she coaxed a blast ended skrewt into eating a small bit of rat meat. It didn't seem happy. "That's the spirit Hermione!" Hagrid called, giving her a hard thump on the back, causing her entire arm to be thrust into the smoking crate. She shrieked and the skrewts scrambled towards the exposed flesh, hissing and spitting all the while. "Sorry 'bout that." Hagrid apologized, examining her red and splotchy arm. "Should heal up in no time." Ron caught this exchanged and quickly jumped back from his box of skrewts, evidently too frightened at the possibility of an injury like Hermione's.

The lesson ended none too soon and we trudged back up to the castle for lunch looking the worse for wear. We took our usual spots at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with an audible sigh.

"Looking forward to a double lesson of Divination?" Ron muttered sarcastically, heaping large piles of chicken onto his plate. "Couldn't ask for a better end to the perfect day."

"Oh shut it." I scolded playfully. "It could've been a lot worse for you. Just look at Hermione."

Hermione blush a deep red and pulled the sleeves down even lower on her burnt arms. "It's not funny Annie!"

"I for one hope that Hagrid never finds out what those bloody skrewts eat." Ron continued, feigning seriousness. "With any luck they'll starve to death within the week."

Harry let out a loud guffaw. "Ha! One would hope, but I think it takes a bit longer to starve to death."

Ron shrugged. "Ah, well, a boy can dream can't he?"

"That he can, that he can." I continued.

"I'm heading down to the library for a bit of research." Hermione said suddenly as we stepped into the Great Hall.

"Already? It's the first day back, we don't have any homework!" Ron complained.

"I just wanted to start some research on those poor enslaved house elves. The more I know about the subject, the better I'll be able to defend their case should anybody-"

"I'm coming with you." I cut in.

Hermione brightened up. "Great, but eat fast. We have less than an hour until our next class."

"Of course!" I agreed, one step ahead of her in shoveling food into my mouth. Hermione followed my lead.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks, but stepped down, which was probably the wiser choice. They knew how we could get when we got stuck on these ideas. Today at breakfast was only a tame example.

Within minutes Hermione and I had finished our hasty lunch and gathered our things to leave. "I'll see you in Divination!" I called back, as Harry and Ron enjoyed their lunch slowly and leisurely.

Hermione sniffed in disapproval at the mention of the subject. "Why are you still taking that class? You said yourself that the stuff Professor Trelawney teaches isn't worth learning."

"I didn't say that! You said that and I only nodded to get you to stop talking about it." I defended.

"But still…"

"Besides, ever since I started taking that class I've been able to see more of the future more clearly. It's really helped-"

"But is that really such a good thing?" Hermione countered.

"Of course it's-" I stumbled over my shoelace and fell flat on my face with a hard _umph_, the contents of my bag scattered across the floor. "Styx…"

Hermione kneeled down to help me pick up my many books as I started reaching for the several quills that had rolled every which way. 1…2… but where was the third one. I could've sworn I had three quills. I scanned the stone floor around me but caught no sight of my eagle feather quill. "Styx." I muttered again and started crawling around looking for it. There was a hanging tapestry just to my left over a corridor with the tip of a feather just barely peeking out. Found it. I crawled over and pushed the tapestry aside, but stopped dead in my tracks. I wasn't alone.

Two Gryffindors had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, snogging each other senseless. No seriously, it looked like they were eating the other's face off. My eyes caught sight of a familiar shock of red hair against the mousy brown of the girl's. I felt a sharp pang in my stomach and reached to grab my quill and leave unnoticed, but the fates decided against that plan of action.

"Annie?" George asked, pushing Alicia Spinnet out of his embrace. She looked more than slightly put out.

My face heated up, no doubt revealing a scarlet blush creeping up my face. "Just, uh, just dr-dropped my quill." I stuttered, reaching for the tapestry to make a quick escape.

"Okay, see you around." He said turning back to Alicia and continuing to snog her. I backed out; the blush leaving to be replaced with what I knew had to be a colorless, shocked expression.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, handing me a pile of books.

"Did you know George and Alicia Spinnet were dating?" I asked, glancing back towards the hanging tapestry.

Hermione gave me a knowing look. "No, I didn't. They must've just started going out."

I sniffed in disgust, my embarrassment and shock turning into anger, for which I didn't know why. "Yeah, seems like it." I stomped away, determined never again to think about what I had just seen.

…

_Professor Trelawney continued to talk as her class slowly lost interest. Harry and Ron whispered loudly and occasionly took time to glance up at Professor Trelawney only to erupt once again in silent laughter. I kicked them._

_"Will you two shut up!" I whispered harshly. The met my gaze only briefly, but I could tell no real damage had been done. They continued to talk._

_Even Lavender and Parvati, the only other students ,it seemed, to take an interest in Divination were giggling softly and doodling into Lavender's open notebook._

_I guess I could see why Professor Trelawney seemed to be letting their minds wander. The fumes from the burning incense were starting to get to me. The flickering light provided by the fireplace made me drowsy. I stifled a yawn. Professor Trelawney was on the other side of the room, talking in her dreamy voice to some poor Hufflepuff. Resting my eyes for just a second wouldn't hurt. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes._

_I couldn't have been out for more than ten seconds when I was startled awake by the loud sounds of chaos the classroom had entered into. Harry and Ron were staring directly at me, their gaze mingled with a twinge of fear and curiousity. Lavender was talking Parvati's ear off with her hurried speech. A few Hufflepuff girls were whispering into their close knit group. But the most unnerving sight of all was Professor Trelawney. She was rushing towards me, arms outstretched, no doubt to engulf me in a bone crushing hug. Her eyes were brimming with tears of admiration. It was last night all over again, only this time I couldn't remember a thing. _


	21. AN

Let's get one thing straight, I hate hate HATE chapters that are only author's notes. In fact, I deeply contemplated posting this at all, but I felt you guys needed an explanation. I haven't abandoned this story. Not at all, in fact. I have so many little pieces of it written and ideas jotted down in numerous notebooks. I'm just feeling pressured. When I'm writing I find myself thinking, "Will my readers like this?" It shouldn't be like that. I should write because that's what I want to do, not for anybody else. It's become a chore to me, sort of like "I've got to get this chapter up this weekend." Sort of thing. I feel like for the sake of getting the next chapter out I've sacrificed quality. And while some of you may not mind, I really, really do. So I'm taking a break. A short break, like a month or two. This is NOT goodbye, more like see you later.

Until next time,

Hannah


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